


Sorry Baby

by cherrybombtriestowrite



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Killing Eve AU, M/M, Minor Character Death, aged up by 6-7 years or so, fashionable and charming assassin!seungyounie, special agent!hangyul, yes i am overambitious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-08-19 19:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrybombtriestowrite/pseuds/cherrybombtriestowrite
Summary: Following a series of murders involving influential people, a security operative and a hitman become inextricably linked - giving birth to a mutual obsession.Agent Hangyul is on the verge of catching up to a deadly assassin he gave the nickname 'Baptiste'. Seungyoun, an assassin with a mysterious background and a deceptively charming front, enjoys the little chase he leads the agent on.





	1. The Nurse

**Author's Note:**

> This is very very largely based on the TV show Killing Eve, but only the plot of...this extremely interesting dynamic between an agent and the assassin they're after. 
> 
> If you haven't watched it, please do! you don't have to in order to understand the fic, but it's such a GOOD tv show
> 
> enjoy!
> 
> also available in русский [here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/8621616) translated by the wonderful Saluki!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangyul gets his life and career turned upside down due to his fixation, dragging his teammates along with him. However, the change leads to something even better for them.

The Korean Intelligence Agency has security operative teams like any other developed country, tasked to care for the safety of any big deal that steps on South Korean soil. There are three teams, each divided by experience. Team X1 is special because the members recruited are still in their late 20’s, trained from young to master both physical fitness as well as intelligence. They’re the least experienced among the teams, but their spirits are higher than the other older agents.

The leader, Han Seungwoo, graduated from the military academy as valedictorian. He’s perfect in every sense - looks, brains, brawn. He applied to enter the agency because he wanted more autonomy for himself, as well as to expand his skills. Second-in-arm is Lee Jinhyuk, also a graduate from the same military academy, albeit two years before Seungwoo. Rumor has it he was born with a faulty heart, so he defied the odds by joining the army and overcoming his flaw. He was his company’s leader for years, his discipline and scary exterior instilling fear in his fellow cadets. He was ready for a career in the army, but couldn’t help but to feel curious when the agency scouted him. Roped in with Jinhyuk is Kim Wooseok, who studied and trained under the intelligence agency. He does the intel research, rarely ever stepping foot outside for field work. He was an old friend of Jinhyuk, and when they bumped into each other at the agency, he was easily convinced to join the team. 

The youngest member is Lee Hangyul, Taekwondo champion and SNU graduate with a degree in criminal psychology. He was the underdog during the recruitment period, emerging as one of the five out of hundreds who secured a position in the agency. Seungwoo himself chose Hangyul to be in his team, impressed by his resume above all. It proved to be his best decision because Hangyul has more to offer.

Their team's descend, however, began when an influential American lobbyist died in Seoul from what seemed like a tiny laceration that led to an unprecedented blood loss. Forensic reports came in, proving that it was made my something very sharp and definitely not accidental. Team X1 was tasked to keep an eye on him because the other two teams had a lot on their plate - forcing the boys to have to face the a few big bosses to discuss this cataclysmic incident.

It was Jinhyuk’s birthday the night before - an occasion that calls for karaoke and drinking - so half the team arrived at the meeting late. Wooseok breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that Hangyul’s seat is empty. The other old people at the table stare at him, making him uncomfortable so he introduces himself. When the door opens with a panting Hangyul on the other side, Wooseok sighs in relief again at the diversion of attention.

“And that’s all of the team.” Their annoying boss, the old and cranky Suhyuk says. “Excuse them, it was Jinhyuk’s birthday yesterday.”

A man sits in between the older officials, handsome and regal looking. He is close to his 40’s, but he has clearly maintained his good looks and figure. He smiles at the boys and nods. “Right, let’s get to the matter at hand.”

A man stands up to present the details of the case, flashes of post mortem photos accompanying him. Hangyul watches with awe, already trying to figure out how the laceration could have been made. The crime was said to have taken place after a charity gala, while he was on the way to his hotel. By the time he reached his floor, every inch of the elevator was covered in his blood. He explains that there are no CCTV to capture the blind spot, and the only witness was the lobbyist’s 40 years younger girlfriend. Wooseok grimaces in disgust before adjusting his glasses and taking notes. Seungwoo and Jinhyuk remain unfazed.

This case sparks something in Hangyul; a research he has been conducting regarding the death of influential people worldwide. It is just a side job he has been working on to keep himself busy, but it has become a fixation as of late. Hangyul has a controversial theory - these people were all assassinated by the same person. This person has been killing people across the world with no discernible modus operandi; but the most controversial fact is that the person _has_ to be working for someone important. Perhaps even a clandestine organization.

“I’m sorry?”

Hangyul looks up from where he was taking notes to see that everyone is looking at him. The handsome older man, Dongwook, was the asking the question. Putting his pencil down, Hangyul leans back nervously as he regrets having unconsciously said his thoughts out loud. He answers, “I-I said...this must be Baptiste.”

His team members collectively groan quietly, except for Jinhyuk who outright glares at him for bringing up such a topic with their boss and their boss’ boss present. However, Dongwook asks, “Baptiste? Who is that?”

“Just a theory I had from the research I’ve done-” Feeling Jinhyuk’s boots stepping on his shoes, Hangyul gulps and stops. “It’s nothing, though. I’m sorry.”

Polite as ever, Seungwoo stands up to bow at the officials with the other following suit. As soon as the team leaves the meeting room, Jinhyuk slaps the back of Hangyul’s head, happy he could finally do that. While it is adorable for Wooseok to see Jinhyuk angry like this, Hangyul is pissed off because he hasn’t even gotten over his hangover headache yet.

“I’m sorry, it slipped!” He defends himself.

“That was Lee Dongwook, you idiot.” Wooseok laughs.

“Who?”

Seungwoo explains as they continue walking towards their office space, “Dongwook is from the Bureau of Investigation. Jinhyuk’s personal hero.”

“Shut up, he’s just very amazing and idol-worthy.” Jinhyuk retorts.

Wooseok frowns and asks, “Are you in love with him or something?”

“Depends, will you be jealous if I said yes?” Jinhyuk teases, nudging Wooseok. They’ve been having this push and pull dynamic for all of 2 years they’ve worked together. The last time they met was in middle school, pimples and horrible haircuts abound. So when Jinhyuk appeared in his uniform that accentuated his long legs, Wooseok was surprised, to say the least. Wooseok himself transformed into a pretty man with an angelic face to contrast his occasionally evil behavior. An attraction between them is something to be expected.

In the office, Hangyul looks over the case file with the rest when he comes across something. He exclaims, “The witness hasn’t been transferred to the embassy yet! She’s got answers.”

Looking up to shoot another glare, Jinhyuk says, “Don’t you dare suggest--”

“Let’s interview her.”

“Good idea, except our instruction is to just help provide protection for her.” Seungwoo replies.

The air grows quiet until Wooseok nonchalantly says, “I’ll go with you.”

The two soldiers look at them incredulously, knowing that nothing they can do or say will stop those two.

  
  


~

  
  


In the hospital, Hangyul and Wooseok are seated in a special room for international patients. Accompanying them as a translator is Nam Dohyon, a kid the agency uses a lot for English to Korean translation. He’s barely 20 and there are way more experienced translators, but he’s hired often because he doesn’t do it for money. The witness was the lobbyist’s girlfriend, a 20-year old American model doped up in heroin. She was clearly in the relationship for nothing more than money for drugs, so she couldn’t have been smart enough for such a sophisticated murder. When the witness arrives in the room, she sits slumped on the chair opposite the agents. 

Dohyon stares at her with his mouth agape - his first time seeing a person on heroin in real life. Hangyul nudges him and he snaps back to reality. He begins the interview with flawless English, “Helena, we’re here to ask you about the death of your boyfriend.”

“God. GOOOOOOOOD!” The woman exclaims before screeching in laughter. Her head hangs back as she mumbles something.

Trying his best to understand her, Dohyon leans forward and tries to decipher her speech. He turns to look at the agents and asks, “She's saying nonsense. Any specific questions?”

Wooseok suggests, “Ask her if she saw anyone suspicious in the vicinity right before they entered the elevator.”

Doing as instructed, Dohyon then listens to her nonsense mumbling and writes it down. He translates, “She’s saying something about...a man in a brown suit. Handsome...Asian…”

“Does she know she’s in Korea? Which is in Asia?” Wooseok asks, actually serious.

“She said a man talked to them...something about french fries- nevermind, she’s just telling me what she’s craving. Can somebody get her some fries?”

“Focus, Dohyon. We’re short on time.” Hangyul reminds him. “Ask her about the man she saw.”

“She’s saying...he’s charming...tall, smelled good? And…” Finally sighing and leaning back, Dohyon shrugs. “I lost her. She’s talking about food now. Has she been fed?”

The description is all Hangyul needed. He excitedly packs his things and drags his two friends outside. He instructs the agency to give her a tight security to make sure nobody gets to her other than them. He also instructs Dohyon to tell no one about this before heading back towards the office.

  
  


~

  
  


Annoyed by the silence from the youngest, Seungwoo sighs and asks, “So?”

“What?”

“Did you get anything from the interview?”

Hangyul lets a small smile slip. “It’s B-”

“If you say that name again I swear to God I’m going to break your foot.” Jinhyuk warns as he types up a report on his computer.

“The description fits! The last 3 murders I investigated had witnesses, and all of them described a tall Asian man being in the vicinity.”

“Asian is a broad term.”

“One of them had the decency to specify that he looked ‘oriental’, which is kind of...I don’t know- but they definitely mean East Asian.”

“Great discovery.” Wooseok admits before adding, “Too bad no one will take it seriously.”

“Why not? I’ve compiled all the evidence.”

“Because we’re the rookie team and no one listens to the kids who, by the way, are doing a job no one told them to.”

Frustrated, Hangyul throws the file he was reading back on the table. Times like this makes him wonder how his life would be like right now had he pursued a more conventional job. He could’ve been a professor, lecturing to a hall full of people. He could be interviewing criminals to conduct an out-of-the-box study. Those thoughts never last though, because Hangyul knows the action of being in this team gives him exhilaration like nothing else.

He looks up to see that his team is busy doing their own thing, ranging from reports to research. Hangyul decides to shoot a text before he gets on his assigned work.

_ **Nam Dohyon** _

_ meet me @ the hospital @ 9 tonight. need translating help _

  
  


~

  
  


Hangyul and Dohyon manages to get past the nurse by claiming to be from the embassy for Helena, the witness. The both of them wait outside her hospital room where a few nurses are treating her as she gets off her high. Hangyul fiddles with his fingers and shifts in his seat uncomfortably.

“Is this, like, illegal?” Dohyon asks, innocence gleaming in his eyes.

Hangyul pauses. “Not exactly.”

“We should’ve brought a gift, like fruits or something.”

“Why?”

“That’s just what I always do when I visit someone at the hospital.”

Desperate to get rid of his nerves, Hangyul excuses himself to the toilet and instructs Dohyon to stay in his seat. He walks towards the nearest bathroom to wash his face and calm himself down. He stares at his own reflection for some time, wondering why people would insist he’s older than he is. A bathroom stall door opens after a toilet was flushed, a man exiting the stall. He’s a nurse in the usual pastel green uniform, washing his hands at the sink. The nurse catches Hangyul watching, So Hangyul pretends to be doing something else; fixing his shirt and belt. He fixes his hair as well, secretly watching the nurse through the mirror.

The nurse is handsome - he has straight hair that is long enough to tie a tiny ponytail with the upper part of his hair. His eyes are like a cat’s, sharp yet gentle. He walks towards the door with Hangyul’s eyes discreetly following him. The nurse stops just as he opens the door and turns to look at Hangyul. This catches Hangyul off guard, giving him no time to look away.

“You know,” The nurse says, his voice in an interesting tone, “you’d look great with an undercut.”

And with that, the nurse leaves Hangyul alone in the bathroom. His eyebrows scrunched, Hangyul tries not to let that scene linger too long in his mind - he has a witness to interrogate. He checks his phone to see if any of his teammates have caught on his act like they usually do, but the group chat is just Wooseok arguing with Jinhyuk over their clashing reports. Hangyul calmly and slowly breathes a few times before putting his phone back in his pocket. Fixing his hair one last time, the nurse’s suggestion rings faintly in his mind.  _ Maybe an undercut would look good. _

Leaving the bathroom, the first thing Hangyul sees when he turns around the corner is a person on the floor. Along the hallway leading towards Helena’s ward are the guards and nurses, lying on the floor with pools of blood surrounding them. Stunned, Hangyul almost trips trying to run into the ward. The biggest worry in his mind is the innocent boy he had dragged into this - Dohyon.

“DOHYON!” Hangyul shouts when he reaches the door. He sees the body of a nurse in front of the bed, stabbed in all the right places. On the bed is Helena, gurgling her own blood due to her throat being slit. Hangyul rushes towards her and tries to stop the bleeding, but a look into her eyes could tell that she’s drifting away. Hangyul tries to get a few last words from her, desperate for at least one more piece of fact. She doesn’t make it, however. Blood fills her windpipe and finally drowns her. Covered in red, Hangyul screams for help, clicking on every button he could find.

“Hyung?” 

Hangyul turns and sees Dohyon at the door, unscathed with a basket of fruits in one hand.

  
  
  
  
  


“I’m gonna be fired.”

“That goes without saying.”

Seungwoo and Hangyul sit at the desk in a room somewhere in the hospital, waiting for their boss to arrive and yell at them. Hangyul is still in his blood stained work shirt, wrapped in a blanket and staring into the distance. Seungwoo almost feels sorry for him, knowing how hard he worked to get this job as well as in doing his own research. But he did go against orders and ended up at the site of a murder, as well as unknowingly putting Dohyon, a civilian, in danger. Dohyon insisted that he came willingly and isn’t shaken by the incident, but he was still sent home. 

The moment Suhyuk walks in with Dongwook, Hangyul reads the look on their faces and knows what’ll happen to him tonight. Seungwoo tries to get ahead and explain Hangyul’s decision, but Suhyuk stops him and tells Hangyul he’s fired. Seungwoo frowns at this.

“If Hangyul leaves the team, we are not going to continue.” Seungwoo insists, adamant to keep the maknae in the team.

“Your agent here interviewed the chief witness without any authority, probably alerting whoever’s out there killing people, and also put that poor kid’s life in danger!” Suhyuk exclaims, almost pulling a muscle in his back. Dongwook, on the other hand, remains calm and watches Hangyul intently.

“She was going to get killed anyway.” Hangyul boldly says, throwing caution to the wind. He’s fired - nothing worse can happen to him. “In all cases related to Baptiste, the witnesses never survived past 2 days.”

Turning to look at his friend, Seungwoo smiles at him. He takes a deep breath and supports his friend, “His research began since last year - the evidence is solid to point all these murders towards one person.”

“Baptiste?” Dongwook asks. Hangyul and Seungwoo nod. Dongwook nods and stands up before saying, “All of Team X1 are fired.”

“What?” Both Hangyul and Seungwoo exclaim. Hangyul stands up and retorts, “It’s all my doing, don’t drag them into this.”

“The decision has been made.” Dongwook states and walks out of the room, followed by an angry Suhyuk.

Hangyul crashes back on his chair, unable to believe that it  _ is  _ possible for things to get worse. Everyone on the team worked so hard to earn their spot - and Hangyul ruined their careers because he just  _ had  _ to interview the girl who was basically dead the moment she admitted to have seen Baptiste. He says sorry to Seungwoo, promising he’ll right this wrong. Seungwoo tells him to go home and rest instead, worried for the younger’s mental state after witnessing all those dead bodies.

  
  


~

  
  


2 days since the hospital incident, Hangyul still hasn’t left his apartment. The deafening silence in the team’s group chat depressed him so much he decided to clean his apartment and continue his research to distract himself. So when his doorbell rings, he reluctantly goes to open it. At the sight of Jinhyuk, Hangyul is ready to shield himself and prepare an excuse. However, Jinhyuk smiles at him and moves forward to hug him. Hangyul freezes beneath the hug as he tries to assess the situation. More people suddenly appear, walking into his home. The men are Dongwook, Seungwoo, and Wooseok. Jinhyuk gently taps Hangyul’s cheek and joins the rest as they congregate on Hangyul’s couch. Hangyul stands by the TV, admittedly scared by this sudden visit.

“Are you guys here to ritually kill me, or what?” Hangyul asks.

Chuckling, Dongwook shakes his head. “I’m here to make your day.”

“Unless you’re here to tell me I’m right, I don’t think my day can be made.”

The men on the couch focus gaze stare on Hangyul, smiles appearing on their lips. Hangyul frowns and steps backwards. He asks, “Are you here to tell me I’m right?”

“In a way, yeah. Technically, roughly.” Dongwook answers. “It aligns with the theory I had, but I had no one I trusted enough to investigate with me.”

Wooseok adds, “He called us with this offer the day after we were fired, that’s why we didn’t have a chance to murder you.”

Ignoring the murder part, Hangyul asks, “What offer?”

Standing up, Dongwook stands out among the men with his cashmere coat and slim figure. He hands a file to Hangyul and announces, “You guys are now part of a hidden division in the Bureau of Investigation.”

Reading the cover of the file in his shaky hands, Hangyul scoffs. “Wh- How would you even know about my theory? I never presented it to anyone outside of X1.”

“There isn’t a hole too deep for me to investigate.” Winking, Dongwook makes his move towards the front door. “The address of our office is in the file. Don’t expect anything fancy and please arrive on time.”

The door shuts behind him, leaving the team in the house with Hangyul. Hangyul was ready to move back in with his parents, maybe find an office job in Incheon. He was ready to delete his research files once he manages to get his fixation over with. In fact, he’d get a lobotomy if he could, just so he can forget this boogeyman he's chasing after. Now that he’s standing in his home, holding a file detailing his new job in the uppermost authority in investigation in the country, the happiness he feels cannot be described.

“If you want more time to rest, we can start next week.” Seungwoo suggests, his voice deep in concern.

Shaking his head, Hangyul smiles. He points at Wooseok and asks, “Can you get me a record of all the nurses who clocked in that night?”

“Right now?” Wooseok asks.

“Yeah. Nobody was allowed anywhere near that area except for nurses. Someone must’ve disguised themselves to kill Helena.” The vigor in Hangyul’s voice doesn’t go unnoticed. 

Jinhyuk grins excitedly at his teammate and states, “Let’s get to work, then!”

  
  


~

  
  


Wooseok was fast with the research, emailing Hangyul the list an hour after they met. Hangyul sits on the couch in a position that will definitely hurt his back, eating some fries as he scrolls through the photo ID of the nurses on duty that night.

Every face he sees are either older woman, a few young women, the occasional men, or even more older women. He yawns when he realizes that he has reached the end of the list. None of them looked like they could professionally stab and slit the throats of 6 people in the period where Hangyul was in the bathroom.

About to stand up to get a drink, Hangyul freezes as a memory enters his mind. His legs turn to stone and his heart beats faster than it should. He slowly goes back to the list and filters only the male nurses. None of those faces seems familiar to him, instantly making him throw his laptop on the other side of the couch. He clamps a hand on his mouth, stopping himself from screaming. Grabbing a pillow, he yells into it instead.

He grabs his phone and quickly calls the last number he called - Wooseok. Wooseok’s voice is sleepy and groggy when he asks what Hangyul wants.

Staring at the list full of unfamiliar faces on his laptop, a delighted smile forms on Hangyul’s lips. “Hyung...I think I’ve met the killer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's play a game of guess who seungyoun was! lmao ok so next chapter will have more seungyoun's pov so don't u fret readers xxx


	2. Cat & Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangyul and Seungyoun are finally introduced to each other, albeit not in person. Seungyoun finds himself smitten. Something happens in Germany.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew this stretched longer than expected n i had to add another chapter skfjla;sf
> 
> enjoy!

Somewhere in Germany, the weather is sunny yet windy. People seem to walk or cycle rather than drive. Good vibrations fill the air and it cannot be described as anything other than a good day. Florists are thriving because their flowers of red, yellow, pink, and orange shades are blossoming under the sun and nobody can seem to pass by without buying them. Al fresco restaurants are filled with people sitting at the tables outside, smoking and drinking coffee.

A man seems to blend in with the crowd, sitting alone at a table meant for two. He is wearing a Tom Ford ensemble consisting of a sheer black shirt beneath a subtly blue blazer, paired with a matching blue pair of shorts. A pair of Versace sunglasses hides his highly alert and trained eyes, leading others to assume he’s just people watching. The dainty earrings in the shape of a key hanging from his left ear doesn’t seem out of place, going perfectly well with his outfit. He quietly sips his coffee.

His name is Cho Seungyoun. That name barely carries any gravitas as compared to the name given to him by people aware of his existence - Baptiste. He isn’t sure if anybody remembers who Cho Seungyoun is. Even his brotherly handler named Sungjoo gave him the codename Luizy - it rolls off the tongue easier. Nobody has called him by his real name in 4 years, since he left it behind. 

He never lets his mind dwell too long on thoughts like that. Seungyoun takes out a postcard with a picture of the French city he’s in, with a generic ‘wish you were here!’ message on the back. It’s a coded message, of course. The code on the top right of the postcard is to be entered on a secured website in the deep web, giving him the exact instructions. His target is a French fragrance mogul who is in town for a luncheon involving very rich people. Seungyoun is never given details more than just the usual name, face, and place. He is allowed to execute his own method, which is his favorite part of the job. It’s the part where he gets to choose a persona and cook up something creative if he’s feeling inspired. But before any big job, he tasks himself to assimilate with the locals, picking up on their intonation, accent, and even the way they laugh. 

Enjoying the good weather, Seungyoun finishes his coffee and walks back to his apartment. The people who handed him the orders are also the people who gives Seungyoun a place to live on top of his extravagant price per hit. They never book a hotel or accommodation for him - it has always been an old apartment largely ignored by locals with a rustic interior that Seungyoun loves. 

Language is no barrier for Seungyoun - he speaks 7 languages flawlessly and understands 10. He improvises where he lacks in. French is a language he picked up quicker than most, finding himself able to even pick up the accents. As he practices speaking the language, he pulls out an outfit from the closet - something he bought yesterday. It’s another blazer-shorts ensemble, this time in a lovely emerald green shade. He wears a beige shirt underneath, making sure the outfit has a distinct style but does not stand out on its own.

His method of assassination this time required more effort and time from him. To execute a hit in a room filled with people who have countless guards circling the venue, he has to get creative. His apartment has a little lab set in one corner for his little science experiment dedicated for this hit. It’s more of a well-researched project than an experiment. On the table is his product, a small vial of perfume filled with a potent mixture of chemicals that can induce an asthma attack with just a whiff.

Seungyoun smiles at his masterpiece. _ I love the breathy ones. _

  
  
  


The luncheon itself is quite a spectacle. When you have 50 extravagantly rich people congregating in one room, the quality of food and venue is guaranteed. Seungyoun maneuvered his way in as an arrogant Chinese heir of a large conglomerate. It’s best to reduce your backstory to a minimum - billionaires don’t simply divulge theirs and simply assume people know. 

Seungyoun’s tall and slim stature sets him aside from most. Other heirs seem to be either bulked up with purely muscle mass, or simply fat. He ignores this and keeps an eye for his target. The man isn’t hard to miss - he’s the handsome 40-something man talking up a storm with several other men. 

The window that Seungyoun gives himself is when the man excuses himself to the bathroom. This isn’t a risky plan - the man is a regular cocaine user and the bathrooms here have excellent tables to snort from. It is also the basis of Seungyoun’s choice of method. He could’ve just offered him bad cocaine that’ll kill him in a second, but the man is very cautious with where he gets his drugs from. Besides, that kind of poisoning can be very easily traced.

So when the target starts walking to the bathroom, Seungyoun pretends to answer a call outside the hall. He follows a few seconds behind the man, walking leisurely like he’s about to pee for a bit. He waltzes in the bathroom and leans against the sink counter. The bathroom smells of jasmine, so Seungyoun picks up a decorative soap and smells it. He could faintly hear the sound of someone snorting in one of the cubicles, much to his delight. Seungyoun softly whistles the tune of Edith Piaf’s Padam Padam, knowing it will cut the man’s drug session short.

The man exits the toilet cubicle while clearing his throat, pausing for a millisecond upon seeing an attractive Asian man hanging out by the sinks. Seungyoun pretends to be texting, only momentarily looking up to smile at him. The man washes his hand and lets his eyes linger on Seungyoun longer.

“Enjoying the luncheon?” The man asks in French.

Putting his phone back in the pocket of his blazer, Seungyoun replies in French, “Quite bored, actually.”

Eyeing Seungyoun from head to toe, the man then asks, “Have we met?”

“Maybe my father.” A casual look graces Seungyoun’s face. “We’re popular with fragrances.”

The man goes deep in thought, trying to recall if he’s ever met a Chinese businessman specializing in fragrance. The look on Seungyoun’s face shows that he’s confident, so the man chalks it up to his faulty memory. He remarks instead, “Then I’m sure you must smell good right now.”

“Smell it yourself.” Seungyoun invites, pulling the collar of his shirt ever so slightly. The man quirks an eyebrow before leaning forward, encroaching into his space. Seungyoun could feel him breathing against his exposed neck, biting his lip at the thought of his next move. When the man pulls back, his face is closer to Seungyoun’s than before. 

“Smells lovely. What is it called?”

Taking out the vial from his inner pocket, Seungyoun strokes the man’s jaw with it ever so gently. “A new mixture I made. I’m calling it...Baptiste. Try it yourself.”

Smirking, the man takes the vial and steps back a little. Seungyoun subtly takes a few more steps back, keeping his guard up. The man spritzes it on his wrist before bringing it to his nose, expecting the same scent. However, he frowns at the scentless perfume.

“I smell nothing. Maybe you brought the wrong one?” He suggests.

Tilting his head, Seungyoun winks at him. “No, it’s the correct mixture.”

Within seconds, the man starts choking before he’s desperately gasping for air. He approaches Seungyoun, but the assassin dances away from him. The man falls on the floor, still gasping in desperation with his eyes wide open. Seungyoun steps on the man’s chest with his brogues, witnessing his favorite part of every assignment - looking into his target’s eyes as they die. Seungyoun studies the man’s green eyes intently, a small smile appearing on his face. When he’s certain the man has stopped breathing and writhing, he steps away and dusts his outfit.

He calls Sungjoo. “He’s casket ready.”

  


~

  


“He must be about 6 feet. A slender figure - broad shoulders, though. Jaw-length straight hair that he partially tied into a small ponytail. His features are delicate, with thin but supply lips, almost perfect nose bridge, cat-like eyes that are kind...yet highly alert. Has a young and pretty face that has to be hiding a myriad of secrets beneath that mask.”

The agent on the composite sketch software stares at Hangyul, blinking. The description barely helped him compose a sketch. “So...is that an oval or a round face?”

Now aware that his description might have been unhelpful, Hangyul averts his gaze towards Jinhyuk who has been watching all of this unfold. Jinhyuk eventually has to help Hangyul dumb down his description, guiding the agent at the computer.

Walking back to their office lot 3 blocks away, Jinhyuk uses his tongue to mindlessly move the toothpick between his lips. He turns to look at Hangyul, but Hangyul speaks before Jinhyuk could even form a sentence, “I was in the bathroom for quite some time, okay? I’m very observant.”

“I didn’t say anything, though.” Jinhyuk mutters, tossing the toothpick into a bin. “It’s just an awfully thoughtful description of what may have been a very dangerous man.”

“He gave off a good first impression. Exactly how I imagined meeting a killer would be.” Hangyul explains, skipping the part where he found Baptiste to be wholesomely good looking.

“How did you imagine it to be?” Jinhyuk asks, curious. He generally stays off the behavioral and psychological portion of their job, which is what Wooseok and Hangyul are for. However, his new job has him excited to be a part of everything.

“A person like him - professional and careful - would blend in well no matter where he is. Charm is a key component to his job, so he’s the type who’s able to look friendly and inviting without even speaking. His posture isn’t overly confident or insecure - it’s perfectly balanced in between. Makes himself look vulnerable, but not the type to be meddled with.”

Mouth open like a fish, Jinhyuk takes a minute before he scoffs. “How long have you been studying this nutcase again?”

“It’s only been a year, but his work has dated back to at least 2 years ago.”

“How do you come to such a conclusion from just his murders?”

“Behavioral science.” Hangyul opens the door to their building for Jinhyuk, letting him in first. 

Their office is in a shoddy building no one would expect to house an intelligence unit. The first thing Dongwook said upon inviting them in was, ‘sorry for the smell’. It isn’t a pungent smell, it just smells...distinct. The office space barely fit the team before Dongwook shoved another member into the team - Dohyon. Everyone was shocked when he walked in until Dongwook explained that Dohyon is one of the most skilled programmers in the agency. His side gig as a translator was only because he is fond of the X1 guys. Everyone collectively placed a hand on their chest upon hearing that.

That’s how the five of them end up in the same office, with Dongwook comfortably commandeering over at the HQ. Hangyul instructed Dohyon to search every prison in the world for an Asian man in his 20’s who has displayed psychopathic tendencies before. It may seem like a common characteristic for most criminals, but scoring high on the psychopathy test should not be as common. Hangyul profiled the man to have been incarcerated as a juvenile as well as in his early 20’s - someone must’ve tamed the beast so he could function as a killing machine. Dohyon asked for a specific country and whined when Hangyul answered with, ‘the whole world’. 

So that’s how Dohyon ended up with a monstrous task. The rest of the team help with the research, sifting through the profiles Dohyon gives them to filter them further. Hangyul is doing the very important task of making a board full of pictures and red strings connecting them. 

Finally done with it, Hangyul swivels in his chair and asks his colleagues, “Were you guys really going to kill me?”

“The plan was to smother you with a pillow and suffocate you to death.” Wooseok speaks without even averting his eyes from the computer screen. He adds, “Jinhyuk’s words, not mine.”

“Who cares, we landed a better job.” Seungwoo chirps, smiling brightly. 

  


~

  


Sungjoo is only 35 years old, but his tired face and constant use of heavy coats makes him look older. He doesn’t mind - he has never been one to obsess over his looks. He’s still handsome though, as admitted by most. He is also handsome by Seungyoun conventions, who flirts with him endlessly. At first it was just a test to see if Sungjoo is fit as his handler, but it evolved into a running joke between them. 

He has the keys to every apartment Seungyoun stays in, using it when he has an important message to deliver. He steps inside the apartment to find that the bed has an interesting new cover, an expensive looking silk he must’ve bought with the bonus from his last hit. Sungjoo looks around until he finds Seungyoun on his couch, slumped with his eyes open. He has on a kimono cardigan with only a pair of summer shorts beneath it.

Sungjoo sighs. He could see Seungyoun breathing, but he sits on the bed and waits until Seungyoun is done with his fake death stunt. It takes Seungyoun 5 minutes before he groans and sits upright.

“You’re no fun, Sungjoo.” Seungyoun pouts. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his thighs, giving him a cheeky smile. “Finally making good on your promise to watch a movie with me?”

A weird fact about Seungyoun that Sungjoo quickly learned was that Seungyoun refused to speak anything other than Korean with him, even though they met in China. He wouldn’t say why, but Sungjoo suspects it’s probably for a sliver of connection to his homeland.

“I never promised.” Sungjoo deadpans. He leans back on the bed and remarks, “Good work yesterday.”

“Thank you.” 

“But I’m not here for that.”

“Then what are you here for?”

Standing up, Sungjoo walks over to sit next to Seungyoun who is still slumped on the couch. Sungjoo gets comfortable and explains, “There is a team composed of agents from Korea’s intelligence agency dedicated to finding you.”

Delight in his eyes, Seungyoun smiles and asks, “Me?”

“Don’t act surprised, I know you’ve been leading them on with your intentional sloppiness.”

“Can’t blame a man for being bored.”

“Get a sensible fucking hobby, then!” Sungjoo exclaims, his calm interior momentarily gone.

They stay quiet as Sungjoo lights a cigarette and Seungyoun fiddles with the belt of his kimono. Seungyoun turns his head to look at Sungjoo, admiring his features. He softly asks, “So...do you need me to wipe the team out?”

“No such thing. Stay out of their way and don’t act sloppy anymore.”

“Who’s directing this team?”

“Intel says a security operative team was fired by the agency and became a clandestine team for the bureau.”

“Blah, blah, blah. I want names and faces.” Whining, Seungyoun tries to invoke the power of his puppy eyes.

Unfazed, Sungjoo rolls his eyes. “I only know of one person. The agent who was supposed to interview the witness you left behind. His name is Lee Hangyul.”

Seungyoun’s eyes sparkles. Picking up his laptop from the table, Seungyoun plunges deep into his resources and searches for a Lee Hangyul. Excluding the pictures of old men with the same name, Seungyoun finally catches a young face. The picture causes him to throw his laptop back on the table, startling Sungjoo.

“What’s your damage?” Sungjoo asks.

On the laptop screen is a formal photo of Lee Hangyul, a man with solid edges yet soft curves, unsmiling with eyes swimming in vigor. _The man in the bathroom_. Seungyoun turns to look at Sungjoo, who isn’t even looking at the photo. Seungyoun clears his throat and asks, “Is that all?”

“No, I have even worse news. For you, at least.”

Already frowning, Seungyoun groans dramatically and asks, “What could be worse than having this handsome man chase after me?”

“They want you to team up for your next mission.”

The playfulness on Seungyoun’s face vanishes. His eyes are filled with anger now. “I just completed a job that’s worth more than any other hired mercenaries combined.”

“Calm down,” Sungjoo winces, “this is just to throw the scent off of you. It’s a risky job for you to do alone.”

“Why?”

“Because chances are the team knows how you look like.”

Huffing, Seungyoun looks away and crosses his arms like a child. He asks, “Are they the ones who gave me that name?”

“What name?”

“Baptiste.”

“From what I understand, it might be that man who came up with the name.” Sungjoo speaks with a cigarette between his lips, pointing at the photo on the laptop. “Commit his face to memory, and avoid him at all cost.”

Nodding at his handler’s instructions, Seungyoun is already imagining the multiple ways he could connect with Hangyul. _ Hangyul, Hangyul, Hangyul. Even his name is handsome! _ Shifting his position on the couch, Seungyoun lies his head on Sungjoo’s thighs, looking up at him. He flashes a mischievous grin which Sungjoo replies with an endearing eye roll.

  


~

  


After a few days of looking through prison records from various countries, Dohyon is finally able to filter it down as much as he can with Hangyul’s help, resulting in about a hundred names and faces. It has also given Dohyon visibly dark rings around his eyes. Bored out of their minds, the team decides to put their desk chairs together and project the profiles on one of the drab white walls. With the light turned off, they sit next to each other and click through photographs to see if Hangyul can recognize any of them.

At profile number 54, they’ve already entered the Asian region and more candidates appear. They went from professionally assessing every face they see, to playing a ‘would you tap that’ game. Hangyul is already yawning, Dohyon is fast asleep next to him, and the rest are either mindlessly staring at the wall or almost asleep. Hangyul puts his jacket on Dohyon before walking over to the coffee machine. Seungwoo, Wooseok, and Jinhyuk continue going through the photos, keeping an eye on anyone that fits Hangyul’s description. Hangyul watches the photos from afar as the coffee brews, feeling indifferent.

_ Maybe the profiling is wrong. Maybe he was raised in some jungle to be an assassin. Maybe- _

“STOP!” Hangyul yells, waking Dohyon up and causing Jinhyuk to almost fall off his seat.

He rushes to the wall and points at the profile displayed on it. The photo is of an East Asian man in his early 20’s with medium-length unkempt black hair. A few fresh and old scars decorates his otherwise relatively pretty face. His face displays an expression that is both angry and tired - his eyes almost soulless. The name accompanying the photo is ‘** _Cho Seungyoun_ **’. 

The nurse Hangyul met has flawless skin and a playful gaze. And yet, he could tell that the man in the photo is the same man who was the nurse. _ It’s Baptiste. Cho Seungyoun. _

Wooseok pulls his file up on his computer and reads his profile out loud. “He was incarcerated in Brazil as a juvenile offender. It seems like he was a resident of that country when he was arrested.”

“What for?”

“Apparently he killed a local man in a fight and…”

“And what?”

“Chopped his whole dick off?” Wooseok adjusts his glasses and reads the sentence again. “Yeap, that’s right.”

Jinhyuk turns around to look at Wooseok and asks, “The whole thing?”

“Does it even matter? The man still died.” Wooseok sifts through his files and continues, “He was released on good behavior, supposedly. He disappeared and showed up a couple years later in China. That’s when this picture was taken. He killed another guy, but this time he’s of age so he was sent to a regular prison.”

“In China? And he made it out?” Jinhyuk scoffs, turning back around to look at the photo.

A gasp escapes Wooseok. “He...never made it out. It says here he died in prison 4 years ago.”

The rest of the team (except Dohyon who went back to sleep) clamor around the computer, reading the file for themselves. The record does state he died in prison, apparently shanked in his sleep by his bunk mate. 

Hangyul laughs bitterly at this and shakes his head. “_That’s_ how they make such an effective assassin. Prison conditioning and _killing_ him off.”

“This is unbelievable.” Seungwoo mutters, still processing the extent of this chase. “Hangyul, this guy is not just dangerous. He’s absolutely _ lethal _. He’s a walking death sentence.”

“A cute one, though.” Jinhyuk adds, looking at the photo. Wooseok rolls his eyes and Seungwoo snickers. Jinhyuk shrugs, “What? I could see why Hangyul fell in love.”

“We are _ not _discussing how cute a serial murderer is right now.” Hangyul huffs and crosses his arms. “He can be a walking bomb for all I care. I’m going to do everything I can to stop him.”

Dramatically, the lights in the office are turned on, scaring the team. At the door is Dongwook who has arrived unnoticed. He looks sharp as ever, a long coat accentuating his dominating figure. He looks at the projected image on the wall and asks, “What’s this?”

“That’s Baptiste.” Seungwoo remarks, confidently smiling. “Real name: Cho Seungyoun. He’s the guy we’ve been looking for.”

Dongwook walks up to the wall and reads the concise details on his profile. He turns to look at the team and his gaze immediately turns from curious to professional as he asks, “Hangyul and Jinhyuk, you’re going to Germany.”

The order catches the team off guard, but Jinhyuk still grins at the prospect of traveling. Dongwook directs the intel team to stay behind, receiving a groan from Wooseok. When Seungwoo asks what his orders are, Dongwook ominously mentions that it will come in a day or two. The plan is for both men to leave for Germany tonight so they can inspect the death of someone Dongwook is certain was killed by Baptiste. They rush home to pack, flustered by this sudden event. Wooseok and Seungwoo remain in the office, throwing tiny crumpled papers at Dohyon who’s still sleeping.

  


~

  


When Seungyoun wants to blend in and look as insignificant as he can, he would usually put on a regular jacket with pants - all in dark shades. He would also wear a cap so he can conceal his face. It might sound like a suspicious get-up, but one would be surprised at how many people dress like this voluntarily everyday. 

That’s what Seungyoun wears as he sits in a French cafe, observing the venue where he had the mogul murdered. From afar, he spots a taxi stopping in front of the building before driving off to reveal 2 young men standing with their suitcases by their side. Seungyoun easily spots Hangyul, the shortest between the two. His hair is styled the same as when they met in the bathroom, and he’s wearing an outfit Seungyoun could only describe as an _insult_ to his eyes. It’s a very basic outfit - too basic to be worn by such a good looking person. It’s like Hangyul _ wants _to look like a narc.

  
  
  


Checking that his wallet and passport are in his bag, Hangyul sighs before looking around. There’s a cafe across the street, which reminds him that he hasn’t eaten since he arrived. There isn’t much one can do when they’re suddenly handed a flight ticket that takes off in a few hours. Before he could suggest getting a bite, a man approaches them and introduces himself as the chief investigator for this crime. They exchange cards, he asks how the flight was, they ask if the hotel is close by - the usual formalities. The man finally tells them to get some rest before resuming business after they check into their hotel.

And that’s when Hangyul turns around to see that his luggage has gone missing. He had only turned his back for a few minutes, and _ this _happens to him. Jinhyuk’s luggage remains by him, barely even moved an inch. Hangyul groans, “Are you kidding me?”

  
  
  


The luggage itself isn’t too heavy, probably just filled with basic clothes and toiletries. _ What else could a man like Hangyul carry? _ Seungyoun drags the suitcase up to his apartment unit, biting on an apple as he goes. He dumps the bag on his bed and catches his breath for a second. He then unzips the luggage and opens it, revealing the inside of Lee Hangyul’s carrier. He imagined an insight into the man’s life would look more exciting, but the clothes he packed are mostly dark in color - all the basic shirts and an occasional striped shirt. His pants are of even less choices, ranging between a pair of slacks and a pair of jeans. Seungyoun jumps on the bed next to the luggage.

Fiddling with the luggage tag with Hangyul’s address written on it, he smiles to himself. “Let's meet, Hangyul.”

  


~

  


“This is supposed to be a simple and fast trip.” Hangyul groans, trying a pair of pants on. Jinhyuk sits outside the changing room, listening to him talk. “But of course the worst thing happened to me.”

“It’s not the worst. You could’ve been held hostage at a bank for 24 hours.”

Frowning, Hangyul sticks his head out and asks, “That’s oddly specific, hyung.”

“It really happened somewhere in the country last week.” Jinhyuk remarks.

The men had agreed to check into the hotel before investigating, which proved to be not as fruitful as they hoped it would be. The officials seem reluctant to indulge in details of the murder, seeing as the victim was a high profile businessman who, as they understand, died after ingesting cocaine. They decided to press the investigators for a contact that can be honest with them, and a meeting is set for tonight between the men and a German official. 

Hangyul looks at himself in the mirror, checking to see if the pants fit him. Jinhyuk called Dongwook regarding the news, and his orders were something along the lines of dress smart and don’t fuck it up. The man they are to meet will have information, but the men will need to look dependable and trustworthy.

Stepping out of the changing room, Hangyul is about to ask for Jinhyuk’s opinion but the man is nowhere to be seen. Jinhyuk is now at the front of the store, taking pictures and probably texting them to Wooseok. 

Hangyul ignores him for a moment and looks at another mirror in the store, muttering, “Something’s missing here.” The shirt he has on is smart and elegant, but something is missing in his outfit. He walks towards Jinhyuk, calling him over for an opinion. When he realizes that Jinhyuk simply doesn’t care, Hangyul resorts to just wear it as it is. Entering the changing room, Hangyul spots a belt hanging by the mirror. He is certain he did not look at belts before, so he wonders if he’s in the wrong room at first. When he’s sure it’s the right room, Hangyul shrugs and puts the belt on. His outfit experiences a surprising upgrade with the belt on, making his outfit professional and stylish - just what he wanted.

Satisfied, Hangyul changes back into his original outfit, smiling. He even forgets that the belt showed up out of nowhere.

  


~

  


Before their dinner with the German official, Hangyul and Jinhyuk are on their respective beds, watching the wall. They have about an hour to go, so they decided to rest before leaving. The TV is turned on, but everything is in German so they don’t even bother watching it. Jinhyuk attempts to balance the remote control on his knee, trying again and again every time it falls. 

“Hyung,” Hangyul says, his voice low like he’s telling a secret, “What's up with you and Wooseok?”

“What’s up? Nothing, I guess.”

“It’s been years.”

“You do realize we’re literally a team formed to chase after an assassin.” Jinhyuk points out, waving the remote around wildly. “Nobody in the team has time for a social life, let alone love life.”

“Seungwoo hyung has a love life, though.” Hangyul mutters, twisting the end of the pillow he’s holding. “I’m just saying, it’s as good a time as any right now.”

“To do what?”

“I don’t know, settle down? You’re almost 30.”

“That can happen later.” Jinhyuk sighs. Truth be told, the idea has been in his head for at least a year now. It’s not a simple matter he can simply brush aside, he _ works _with Wooseok, for god’s sake. He sees that pretty face and those round glasses everyday, exchanging banter with him all day. Wooseok makes it even harder when he makes an attempt at having friends outside of the team, which usually means better looking men who aren’t rigid trained soldiers like him. 

He looks at his phone, quiet as a mouse. He had been texting Wooseok pictures of the town before, but he has gone to sleep since then due to differing time zones. Tensed from being left with his own thoughts, Jinhyuk suggests, “Let’s get going.”

“Now?”

“Who knows what can happen - what if we got on the wrong train or, I don’t know, get held hostage at a bank.”

“Stop using that as an example, please.”

  
  
  


The subway line underground isn’t as packed as Jinhyuk would imagine, but there is still a sizable amount of people. He wanders away from Hangyul to look at the map, trying to be one step ahead of their plans. Eyes pulling away from the German words before him, Jinhyuk accidentally sets his gaze on a man leaning against a pole. It takes him approximately 3 seconds for him to clock who the man is - dead man walking, Cho Seungyoun.

Jinhyuk quickly stands behind the board so he’s hidden and peeks at him. Seungyoun is wearing a black-on-black brocade blazer with a green silk shirt underneath, paired with what seems like an expensive pair of leather pants that hugs his slender legs perfectly. He has a black beret on, which helps connect several points in Jinhyuk’s mind. Eyebrows raised, he inhales before letting it sink in that he is seeing Baptiste himself. _ The walking death sentence wears leather pants. _

Seungyoun looks like he’s just waiting for the train, but Jinhyuk’s trained eyes could tell that he’s looking at something - or someone. Following his line of sight, Jinhyuk gasps when he sees Hangyul. _ He must remember _ , Jinhyuk wonders. _ Not on my fucking watch, though. _

The train arrives, swiftly zooming past the waiting passengers and sends a woman’s scarf flying. While everyone is preoccupied with trying to catch the scarf and getting on the train, Jinhyuk goes into defense mode when he sees Seungyoun walking towards Hangyul. Like a pestering old man, Jinhyuk grabs a hold of Seungyoun’s arm, pulling him right before he enters the train. Seungyoun stares as people walk past him before directing a glare towards Jinhyuk.

Jinhyuk gulps. He says in English, “E-Excuse me, I’m so sorry but that is...a very nice jacket.”

“Thank you, I bought it in Paris.” Seungyoun replies, polite but obviously masking his urgency.

The doors slowly close and the train moves away, making Seungyoun huff out a silent sigh. Jinhyuk realizes that he needs to continue this act, so he puts his hands in his pockets and says, “Haven’t been to Paris in years.”

_ He has never been to Paris before. _

“Oh, you should. If you love clothes, it’s heaven over there.” Seungyoun replies, his initial annoyance multiplying.

“I’m from Korea and we have great clothes there too.”

“Is that so.”

“I’m sorry, are you Korean?”

“I’m afraid not.” Seungyoun smiles, giving a single pat on Jinhyuk’s shoulder. “Excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

Walking at a pace that can only be described as walking fast but only because of a pair of long legs, Seungyoun heads towards the stairs. Jinhyuk walks slowly from behind, tailing him with as much distance between them as he can muster. The sky has turned dark since they left the hotel, which serves Jinhyuk better as he tries to walk in the shadows. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he answers it as he keeps his eyes on Seungyoun.

“Jinhyuk hyung! Why didn’t you get on the train?”

“You won’t believe it, but I saw your guy.”

“What guy?”

“Baptiste - he was watching you while we were waiting for the train.”

“HE WHAT?”

“I had to stop him from following you, so I pretended to ask about his jacket or some shit. Now I’m following him.”

“Hyung, don’t do anything until I get there.”

“Don’t come! You need to attend the meeting and update Dongwook. I’ll handle this myself.”

“But hyung--”

Stuffing his phone back in his pocket, Jinhyuk tries to walk casually and not look suspicious - his long legs catching up with Seungyoun easily. At a crossing, Jinhyuk accidentally loses Seungyoun when a tram passes by. Still, he runs forward until he sees Seungyoun walking on the other side of the street. He sees a neon sign with a long line of people outside a building.

Seungyoun skips the line and walks straight to the entrance, flashing a smile at the bouncers who welcome him in. Jinhyuk tries to do the same, but the bouncers insist that he needs to line up. Frustrated, Jinhyuk runs to the end of the long line and nervously waits for his turn to enter.

  


~

  


The club Jinhyuk eventually manages to enter is dark as strobes of light flashes across the room. He takes his phone out and calls Hangyul.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“I followed him into this place called Klub Neu. I’m looking for him now.”

“How long were you following him for? I’ve even finished the meeting.”

“I had to line up to enter while that asshole just walked in. Chances are he probably left.”

“Okay, I’m heading there right now.”

Looking around, Jinhyuk realizes that the club is one of those popular slaughterhouse-turned-nightclubs that he read about on the plane. It seems fitting at the moment, seeing as he’s hunting down a slaughter machine. He’s convinced that Seungyoun must’ve left by now, but something in him tells him to continue looking.

And that’s when he finds a pair of sharp eyes looking straight at him. The strobes of light flashes on him momentarily, causing Jinhyuk’s heart to skip a beat. Seungyoun is still here. Jinhyuk’s frozen on the spot, having not thought of what he should do in a situation like this. They never taught you how to face a serial murderer in the army.

A smile appears on Seungyoun’s face, a less than genuine curve on his lips. Jinhyuk isn’t able to decipher what the smile means, frowning at all the possibilities. When Seungyoun seems to be moving towards him, Jinhyuk’s heart almost jumps out of his chest. Shoulder-to-shoulder with the patrons of this packed nightclub, Jinhyuk tries to weasel his way through so he can escape Seungyoun. The crowd gets denser as he goes, until he’s unable to move anymore. He turns around to a smiling Seungyoun standing inches away from him.

It feels a lot like getting caught in a sinkhole.

  
  
  


Running, Hangyul follows the map on his phone that directs him towards the club Jinhyuk mentioned. The line is as long as expected, so Hangyul runs around the building to see if there’s a door he can enter through instead. He hasn’t felt the rush of desperation this potent before, and it is eating him alive. If anything happens to Jinhyuk, he doesn’t think he can forgive himself.

Surreptitiously entering through a backdoor, Hangyul is unable to look at much. The crowd is filled with tall Europeans, and his stature isn’t at an advantage. Hangyul shoulders through the crowd, his eyes scanning everyone like a machine. When he finally spots Jinhyuk, he grins and waves enthusiastically, relieve flooding him.

And then Jinhyuk disappears from his view, falling to the ground. Hangyul scrambles to where his teammate fell, pushing everyone in his way. By the time he reaches Jinhyuk, the man is on his knees, clutching his stomach. He’s wearing a dark suit but Hangyul could see blood dripping on the floor as strobes of light hit them, flashing red and purple.

Hangyul screams for help before diving in to hold Jinhyuk up. He tries to stop the bleeding, but Jinhyuk is already pale as a paper and slowly fading away. Hangyul’s voice gets coarser and coarser as he screams into the night.

  


~

  


Seungyoun has not killed people without being paid for at least 3 years now. Staring at the blood on his hand, he sighs at what seems like a killing that shouldn’t have had to happen. He leaves the lights in his apartment off, preferring to sit in the dark. His blood-stained jacket and pants are on the bed, leaving him with only his silk shirt on. He imagines the terror that would fill Hangyul’s eyes when he finds his teammate. _ Does he know his friend was in that club? Should I leave an anonymous tip? _

Slapping some sense into himself, Seungyoun shakes his head. _ No, that idiot made the mistake of stopping me in the first place. Did he think he could follow me unnoticed? _

Crashing his back on the bed, Seungyoun sighs. He prays Sungjoo will not find out. _He prays The Eleven won’t find out_. When his phone rings, he panics at the thought of his fear coming true so soon. Upon seeing Sungjoo’s name on the screen, Seungyoun gently says hello.

“Are you still in Germany?”

“Yeah, but I’m leaving tomorrow.” Seungyoun lies. Well, _ now _he has to leave after unprecedentedly stabbing that guy.

“Cancel that. You’re heading to Seoul tomorrow.”

Sitting up, Seungyoun frowns. “What?”

“You heard me. No questions, you’ve got a government official to kill tomorrow.”

“Okay, I gue--”

“And don't forget; this is the hit they’ll be giving you a partner for.”

Biting his lower lip hard enough it bleeds, Seungyoun holds in a scream. He understands their worry, but he knows such an effort would be futile. He answers instead, “Got it.”


	3. Home Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recap of what happens to the rest of the assignment. Seungyoun meets an old friend. Hangyul gets a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> about last chapter: i originally wanted it to be seungwoo that gets stabbed, but i made a twitter poll n jinhyuk was voted for it sjlfkhssfd so blame my followers for any damage done towards your emotions
> 
> anyhoo, enjoy this chapter!

4 days have passed since Germany. The memory of Jinhyuk writhing in pain in the ambulance is still fresh in Hangyul’s mind. The doctor said Jinhyuk was fortunate that the two stab wounds on his abdomen did not puncture any vital organs, but both Jinhyuk and Hangyul know that isn’t the case. They know Seungyoun did that on purpose - it wasn’t him getting rid of an obstacle, it was him showing them what happens when he’s interrupted. Perhaps a more painful note than that is noticing that Jinhyuk’s right palm was bleeding more than the left because he tried to stop the knife with his bare hands, clenching on it before it went through him.

Hangyul stayed with Jinhyuk when they flew him back to Seoul even though the older man insisted he continue with his plans. Dongwook had that covered, however. After Hangyul received a drive from the German official, it was sent to Dohyon to decrypt, showing thousands of money transactions relating to the people Seungyoun killed. The same transaction to an account in South Korea stood out - tracing back to none other than their former boss, Suhyuk.

That was where Seungwoo’s task began. He was to get Suhyuk to a safehouse and question him about the money he’s receiving. Suhyuk was already hiding when they looked for him, staying in the outskirts of Seoul. Seungwoo kept his task force small, but their job was made significantly harder when they realized they weren’t the only ones looking for Suhyuk. 

Seungyoun was also there.

By the time Seungwoo managed to convince Suhyuk that coming with him is his only option if he wants to stay alive, he had to improvise an escape plan. Suhyuk had to run across a hill towards Seungwoo’s van, narrowly avoiding bullets aimed at him from behind. Seungwoo had Seungyoun’s face ingrained in his mind, so it wasn’t hard to miss the man as he chased after Suhyuk. Seungyoun was in a blue tracksuit and beanie, running like the fucking Terminator towards him. Seungwoo’s task force members managed to haul Suhyuk’s ass in the van before immediately speeding away.

Seungyoun wasn’t the only one there, however. Another man trailed after him and almost got as close as to have yanked open the door of the van. Another task force member kicked the other man in the face, throwing him off balance. Seungwoo drove off and glanced at the rearview mirror to get one last look at Seungyoun who was not even chasing after the car - he was just standing with a gun while his partner yelled at him. He could’ve shot at the car, but he stood there instead. Seungwoo could see how even the skilled Jinhyuk could have been stunned when faced with a man that unpredictable.

  
  


~

  
  


The safe house is located outside of Seoul, isolated from everything else. Five guards are placed in and outside of the house, all because the man inside has two trained assassins looking for him. Seungwoo had been grilling him with questions when Hangyul arrived, fresh off the plane.

Hangyul listens intently to Seungwoo’s recap of his mission, still fighting the jet lag from his flight home. All Hangyul could feel right now is anger. Suhyuk was their boss for two whole years and made their lives a living hell, constantly berating them for not being as competent as the other teams who have probably been working longer than Hangyul has been alive. Now that he’s at their mercy, he’s just a sweating heap of mess who knows he might as well be dead.

“There was someone else?” Hangyul asks, confused. As far as his research goes, Baptiste has always been a team of one. A lot of his missions were done in such a confined space and time that if he were to have a partner, it might as well have been a ghost. 

Seungwoo nods at him. “I didn’t see him at first, but the other guy ran after the van and almost grabbed Suhyuk’s legs.”

“Should’ve just let him.”

“You do realize that Suhyuk’s the only link we have to whoever is ordering these hits, right?” Seungwoo reminds him, putting a heavy hand on his shoulder. “This is more than just one psychopath killing people. Someone is pulling the strings, and they’re the ones we need to find.”

“I can assure you that no one hired him to stab Jinhyuk.  _ That  _ I’m sure of.” Hangyul scoffs. “Suhyuk’s just a pawn in this game - do you seriously think that asshole has anything to offer us?”

“He gave me a name.”

Seungwoo’s face is serious, his eyes boring a hole into Hangyul’s. It’s not that easy to forget that Seungwoo is the leader of X1, the man who keeps everything running, even if they have to leave a member behind. He’s the most agile out of them all, as well as the only one with rationality intact no matter the situation. Between Jinhyuk’s rigid ways, Hangyul’s crazy ideas, and Wooseok’s ability to enable any bizarre idea that passes him, Seungwoo is able to neutralize them all. 

So when Seungwoo says he has a name, Hangyul trusts him. 

“Suhyuk referred to the people who pay him as The Eleven. He has no idea who the eleven are, or if it’s just a name. They approached him with money so his kids could study abroad and also to pay for his wife’s hospital bills.”

“What did he do for them?”

“He fed them intel that could benefit them.” Seungwoo sighs and leans back against the wall. “As big of an asshole Suhyuk is, he was a pretty big deal in regards to the country’s security. But you’re right, he’s just a pawn and I’m guessing there are a thousand more people on their payroll around the world.”

Running a hand through his hair, Hangyul gives himself some space to finally breathe. This was their first mission as a team, and they’ve got what seems like a year’s worth of investigation to handle. Having Jinhyuk survive that ordeal lifted a big weight off his shoulder, so Hangyul hopes he can sleep better tonight.

“Did you see him?” Seungwoo asks.

“Who?”

“Cho Seungyoun.”

“No. I would’ve if Jinhyuk hadn’t stop him.”

“Do you think he was planning to harm you, though?”

The question hits Hangyul in a way he hadn’t thought of before. It’s fair to say that Jinhyuk is the act-first-ask-questions-later kind of man, but he trusts his judgment. Hangyul can list out a hundred reasons why Seungyoun would want him dead, but none of them would align with Hangyul’s predictions of his next move. A psychopath like him  _ relishes  _ in the attention of someone else, especially people who are hot on their trail. Chances are he was following Hangyul just because he can.

“I don’t know.”

  
  


~

  
  


“Where are you going?”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“Because you’re a nutjob and everything you do puts me on edge.”

Putting on a cap before stepping out, Seungyoun pouts at Yohan’s reply - acting like what he said wasn’t absolutely true. 

Kim Yohan is an old friend of Seungyoun’s. They met in China, both imprisoned for crimes they  _ definitely  _ committed. Seungyoun was in the slammer first, already assimilated with the prison conditions because if he survived a Brazilian prison, he could survive anything. Seungyoun went by the name Chengyan while in prison, known as the guy who had no bad blood with anyone. He did all he could to manipulate his way into being accepted in every circle. 

Yohan was a Taekwondo champion as a kid back in Korea but found a lucrative way to use his skills for the Triad when he moved to China. His body count was higher than Seungyoun’s when they first met, but Seungyoun could tell that Yohan did it strictly for the notoriety and money. He isn’t a psychopath - Seungyoun knows this because it takes one to recognize one. He was immediately fixated on Yohan the moment the younger man was imprisoned. Getting Yohan to be his friend wasn’t hard because there weren’t too many Koreans in there, so he was glad to have had Seungyoun. Yohan’s biggest mistake, however, was telling Seungyoun about being scouted by an organization. It was like a window opened for Seungyoun in that prison - one that would lead him to a life where his flaw could be monetized.  _ Killing for money _ . When he knew that the organization sent someone to assess Yohan, Seungyoun begged to come with, claiming that he was just curious.

It’s safe to say that everything went south for Yohan after that. An old man came to assess Yohan, someone Seungyoun later came to know was the organization’s psychologist. Seungyoun talked his way into being assessed as well, and it didn’t take long until the psychologist was smiling as he wrote in his file. That same day, Seungyoun was taken out of prison in the middle of the night and began his training. He never saw Yohan again.

Meeting Yohan again in Seoul was...not a pleasant encounter. Seungyoun earned himself a punch in the face almost immediately and they fought for at least half an hour before their handler pulled them apart. Yohan is still bitter about what Seungyoun did to him back in China because from his perspective, he saw Seungyoun as a potential partner. He thinks he might have also been slightly in love with Seungyoun because, well, Seungyoun has that effect on people.

Seungyoun argued that since they’re here to do a job together, Yohan’s wishes did come true in some way. Yohan explained that he managed to finally get out of prison a year after Seungyoun did with the same organization, but his work was limited inside of East Asia. So while Seungyoun had the chance to kill while enjoying the scenic Italian summer, Yohan was stuck with partner jobs in the Mongolian winter. That’s why Seungyoun did not put up a fight when he got punched once more.

Seungyoun missed Sungjoo a lot - he hates having to deal with things of the past. He craves the freedom he was so used to, including being able to choose his own methods. So when their target had managed to get away, Seungyoun decided to let him go - for the time being. Yohan thought he was mad for doing so, which makes him right because Seungyoun  _ is  _ absolutely mad. Seungyoun assured that he will get the target in a matter of hours, refusing to let circumstances stop him from enjoying his job. He  _ will  _ have fun while he’s in Seoul.

  
  


~

  
  


“Hangyul-ah, someone dropped by to return the luggage you lost.”

Pleased by the turn of events, Hangyul thanks the landlady and politely heads towards his apartment with his luggage. As he unlocks his door, he prays that his luggage wouldn’t be missing anything. Even though he barely packed anything, he still had a few shirts he cherished in there. 

His apartment is empty, which is no surprise considering the fact that he’s been living alone for so long he has forgotten what it feels like to have company. He drags his luggage into the bedroom and places it on his bed, unzipping it. The first thing he notices is how neat everything is arranged in his luggage, but the second thing he notices made him gasp.

Nothing in the luggage is his. The luggage itself is undoubtedly his, but his clothes have all been replaced with...fancier clothes. He picks a navy colored shirt up, feeling the soft silk glide effortlessly in his hand. A leather belt is neatly packed on top of a pair of elegant slacks, flashing the gold Versace logo on its buckle. One item sticks out among the expensive clothes - a box. Hangyul takes it out, admiring the sleek velvet texture of the box. He opens it and pulls out a square shaped bottle of perfume. The name of the perfume is written on it -  _ Jean Baptiste _ . 

Stunned speechless, Hangyul could only stare at it for a whole minute before realizing what has happened. His luggage wasn’t stolen, the same way Seungyoun probably wasn’t following him to kill him.  _ Did he just want to meet me? _ Hangyul notices a card in the perfume box and slowly takes it out, reading what’s written on it - ‘ _ Sorry Baby x _ ’.

There is a protocol for these kinds of things. Hangyul is supposed to send this to forensics to be scanned before even touching it, so fingerprints and DNA could be taken. It doesn’t matter, though. Hangyul knows the luggage would be full of Seungyoun’s DNA left behind - and it is only because he intended it to. A mixture of anger, fear, and a tinge of curiosity floods Hangyul’s mind. He’s angry at the audacity the man has to have sent him this after stabbing his friend. Fear dominates him though, because this only means Seungyoun knows where he lives.

_ He knows where I live. _

Still holding onto the card, Hangyul walks out of his bedroom and looks around. His apartment doesn’t look like anyone else had been inside. His heart is at rest right until the door to his bathroom opens. 

And out comes Cho Seungyoun, in the flesh.

They only managed to lock eyes for a second before Hangyul slams his bedroom door shut. He jumps on his bed and grabs the gun he keeps in his bedside table, loaded and ready. In his rush to find a weapon, he forgets to lock the door and it swings open with the tall and menacing man on the other side.

“Don’t shoot--”

Hangyul shoots anyway, his panicked state not helping his aim very much. He winces at the sight of a bullet hole in his wall. He yells at the intruder, “How the fuck did you get in?”

Ignoring the question, Seungyoun steps forward with his hands up and announces, “Listen, I just came to talk.”

Still aiming the gun at Seungyoun, Hangyul uses his bed as a fort to squat behind. He replies, “What makes you think I’d want to listen?”

“Because I know you’ve been watching me.”

The smile on Seungyoun’s face is unnerving, but it also looks harmless. Seungyoun slowly approaches the bed despite having a gun directed at his face. He sits on the bed and looks at the opened luggage, asking, “Did you like my gifts?”

“What did you do to my things?” Hangyul retorts instead.

“Threw some, kept some. Your taste is...questionable.”

Unable to process the situation he’s in, Hangyul stands up from where he’s been hiding. His trained hands do not shake when they’re holding weaponry of any kind, and Hangyul makes sure it’s as steady as it can be as he steps closer towards Seungyoun. Hangyul stops when the barrel of his gun touches Seungyoun’s forehead, leaving them at an arm’s length. With him standing and Seungyoun sitting, he’s able to loom over the assassin and potentially have the upper hand if an altercation is to happen.

However, Seungyoun’s gaze from Hangyul’s position causes him to pause his thoughts. The man looks up at Seungyoun with a soft smile on his face, unfazed by the gun kissing his forehead and simply happy to be here. Hangyul’s heart tingles under his gaze, making him rethink his actions.

“You’re not here to kill me?” Hangyul asks.

“Why would I ever kill you?” Seungyoun tilts his head in confusion, the gun following wherever his forehead goes.

“Then what do you want?”

“I just want to have dinner with you.” 

“Dinner?” Eyebrows scrunched, Hangyul wonders if he heard wrong.

Seungyoun nods innocently, the gun bopping with his head. “I just want to talk.”

  
  
  
  


If any of his X1 teammates knows what he’s currently doing, Hangyul shudders to imagine how they would react. He has his gun from earlier set on the table, facing Seungyoun. Seungyoun didn’t mind because it helps Hangyul feel more at peace in his company.

Hangyul watches as Seungyoun eats the rice he served with a few side dishes his mother made for him. Seungyoun has stubby fingers, unlike his otherwise long and skinny limbs. He’s dressed in a white shirt and a cap, blending in well with the youth around here. Most importantly, his long hair has been cut short, akin to a professional haircut. Hangyul observes the way he holds his cutlery, the way he chews his food, and even the way he looks up once in a while to smile at Hangyul. 

“Cho Seungyoun.” Hangyul says, breaking the silence. Seungyoun pauses with the spoon still in his mouth and looks at him. Hangyul continues, “We found your prison record.”

Continuing his meal, Seungyoun asks, “Oh, yeah? Was it a good read?”

“Yeah, the details about the murders you committed.” Hangyul leans forward and adds, “And your supposed death in prison.”

Leaning forward as well so their faces are only inches apart, Seungyoun mischievously asks, “How do you know I’m not a ghost?”

Hangyul gulps at the proximity. He leans back against his chair and clears his throat. “Why did you stab him?”

“Who?”

“Who-- How many people have you stabbed in the past week?”

“It’s literally my job!” Seungyoun retorts, picking up some radishes to eat with his rice. He chuckles as he chews. “Kidding. Of course I remember, that’s why I gave you a gift.”

Sighing patiently, Hangyul asks, “The clothes?”

“No, the perfume. I even said sorry, didn’t I?”

“Answer my question then - why did you stab him?”

Seungyoun shrugs. “He knew better than to follow me like an idiot.”

Tapping his finger against the table, Hangyul softly asks, “What were you going to do to me?”

“What we’re doing now.” Finally finished with his bowl of rice, Seungyoun places the spoon down and smiles. “I just wanted to talk.”

Hangyul couldn’t possibly fathom what an assassin could talk about with the man currently hunting him.  _ Hobbies? Shared interests? _ Finally realizing the opportunity presented before him, Hangyul relaxes and asks the question that has plagued his mind for years, “Why did you choose this job?”

“Do I look like someone with a lot of choices in life?” Seungyoun chuckles.

“But you clearly enjoy what you’re doing.” Hangyul gestures at all of Seungyoun, adding, “You’re practically not the same guy in the prison records I read.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t want out of this life.” Seungyoun’s face turns vulnerable in a split second, his eyes gleaming with an emotion Hangyul didn’t think he’d have - sadness. “Every hit I make satisfies something in me, but it also drains me. I hate to be bound by a job like this.”

“Would you rather kill people without being told to?”

“No...I’m done with it.” A single tear rolls down Seungyoun’s cheek as he blinks. “I just want out.”

Hangyul’s eyes are swimming in the same sadness, watching Seungyoun’s confession. Hangyul scoffs. “Bullshit.”

Seungyoun quirks an eyebrow.

“I studied people like you, so don’t think I can’t tell when someone’s lying through their teeth.”

Softly chuckling, Seungyoun wipes his tears and mutters, “Worth a try.”

Already exhausted from this encounter, Hangyul grabs the gun and stands up. He stacks the dishes and puts them in the sink, constantly turning to make sure Seungyoun is still there. Before walking back towards the dining area, Hangyul takes his phone out and quickly writes a text to be sent to the team. His finger hovers over the send button, wondering if this is the wisest move right now. He looks up and almost falls back when he realizes Seungyoun is standing in front of him.

Hangyul tucks the gun in the back of his pants, putting his hands up. “Look, I get that you’re not here to harm me or whatever, but I have every right to be terrified of you right now.”

“Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Terrified of me.”

The obvious answer would be  _ yes, fuck yes _ , but Hangyul’s lips pauses before he could utter the answer. He does not feel scared at the moment - he was scared shitless back in the bedroom earlier, but he barely has any trace of fear in him at the moment. Hangyul lowers his hands and shrugs. “I guess not.”

“Good.” Seungyoun smiles, nodding happily. He looks around for a second before adding, “I really wish we met under different circumstances - like in Germany, maybe. But right now...I’m in a bit of a time crunch.”

It takes Hangyul a second to realize that he’s talking about his assignment - to kill Suhyuk. Knowing that it is his true intention for having broken into his apartment, Hangyul reaches for his gun - only for Seungyoun to grab his arm, turning him around and slamming his face against the fridge. Hangyul moans in pain as a magnet bought in Germany is pressed against his cheek. 

“Just tell me where the safe house is and I’ll leave you.” Seungyoun orders, speaking close to Hangyul’s ear. “Promise.”

“Sure,” Hangyul lies, already concocting a plan. It’s simple, really - the knife drawer is right next to the fridge. He swiftly pulls the drawer open and grabs the first knife he sees, fortunately a very sharp one. Using his upper body strength, Hangyul swings himself around and points the knife at Seungyoun’s neck. Only slightly surprised but mostly pleased, Seungyoun smiles as Hangyul pulls him and aggressively shoves his back against the fridge. He stares at Hangyul with the cold blade touching his neck.

“You’re not getting  _ shit  _ from me.” Hangyul remarks, one hand propped against the fridge next to Seungyoun’s head. “And I sure as hell am not letting you leave this place.”

Letting out a low ‘ooh’, Seungyoun scandalously smirks and whispers, “I love it when you talk dirty.”

His voice sends chills up Hangyul’s spine, but he refuses to let himself swayed by this psychopath’s words. Hangyul moves the knife closer to Seungyoun’s neck, the pressure enough to hurt but not to break the skin. Still unfazed, Seungyoun raises his hands and playfully fixes Hangyul’s shirt, correcting his collar. 

“Who do you work for?” Not wasting any time, Hangyul asks the question Seungwoo cemented in his mind.

“I work for someone who works for someone who works for someone.” Seungyoun drabbles on, bored. “Chances are- if you go high enough, you’ll see that we work for the same people.”

Hangyul inhales as he swallows that last sentence. “But why kill these people?”

“To disrupt the balance.” Holding his hands up to mimic a scale, Seungyoun says, “Because sometimes, people need to die for something to move forward or backwards.”

Corruption has always been a problem, but this matter Hangyul has just learnt today is beyond even his imagination. To think that he has been hunting the man who was probably hired by the people he works for - it’s already stressing Hangyul out.

“Ow ow ow.” Seungyoun mutters, his face scrunching in pain. In the midst of his discovery, Hangyul did not realize that he was pushing the knife until it broke the skin of Seungyoun’s neck. It makes a small wound, but blood flows down his neck to stain his white shirt. Hangyul drops the knife on the table and grabs some kitchen towels, immediately pressing it against Seungyoun’s neck.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to do that.” Hangyul apologizes, wiping the blood trail down his neck. “I mean - eventually maybe, but not like that.”

“It’s okay.” Seungyoun smiles at him. The sweetness of the moment lasts approximately 0.5 seconds before Hangyul feels something gently poking at his stomach. He did not realize his gun isn’t on him anymore, instead being pointed at him by Seungyoun. Hangyul sighs at his incompetency tonight, chalking it up to his jet lag and lack of rest.  _ Or maybe you can’t outsmart a trained assassin, dumbass. _

Seungyoun holds up what seems to be Hangyul’s phone that he had also sneakily swiped and demands, “Just tell me the passcode and I’ll be gone. Promise.”

Frozen in place because of the paralyzing fear of being shot in the stomach, Hangyul groans. He mutters, “1, 2…”

“1, 2…” Seungyoun repeats after him, pressing the numbers.

“...3, 4.”

Frowning, Seungyoun’s face contorts in a way that says  _ ‘really _ ?’ His question is answered when the phone unlocks. Seungyoun puts the phone in his pocket and shoves the gun in his pants. Before Hangyul could even react, Seungyoun sneakily leans in and give him a peck on the cheek. His lips feels soft against Hangyul’s cheek, causing the agent to freeze again.

By the time Seungyoun is running out of the door, it’s already too late for Hangyul to pick the knife back up to chase after him. It doesn’t matter - the guy has a gun with him now. Running for the house phone, Hangyul quickly dials the office’s number and prays that someone would answer.

“Hello?” Dohyon’s voice greets him.

“Dohyon! Is anybody there with you?”

“No, I’m the only one in the office.”

“Listen, he was in my house and he took my phone and--”

“Who?”

“Cho Seungyoun! Baptiste! The maniac we’ve been chasing!”

Dohyon gasps. “Hyung, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, but he has the location of the safe house now. I don’t have my phone with me so I cannot contact the team. Tell them to send in the SWAT team.”

Heeding the orders, Dohyon immediately puts the phone down and does as told. Hangyul could finally breathe properly, propping himself up against the wall because it feels like he has been exhausted both physically and mentally. He looks at the kitchen towels he’s still holding, stained red with the blood of Cho Seungyoun. Unsure if he should throw it away or hand it to the forensics team, Hangyul decides to just hold onto it. He quietly sits against the wall and hopes for the best before he finds himself dozing off.

  
  


~

  
  


The hit itself was uneventful. Yohan helped knock out the guards while Seungyoun appeared in the target’s room like the Boogeyman. Seungyoun shot him with Hangyul’s gun, the thrill of using it excited him very much. He left the gun next to the body before rushing back to the car.

Yohan runs to the car as well, stopping next to the window of the driver’s side. He notes, “We need to check in with the handler now.”

Leaning against the door, Seungyoun approaches Yohan’s face dangerously close and suggest, “Or we can  _ not _ do that.”

“What do you mean?” 

“We could do what you said you wanted.” Gently flicking Yohan’s chin, Seungyoun smiles. “I can get you out of here. Let’s be partners.”

At first there is doubt on Yohan’s face, but the way Seungyoun smiles almost convinces him. He shakes his head. “Stop bullshitting.”

“I’m not! It’s a great idea.” Seungyoun places his hands on Yohan’s cheeks and assures him. “Put the guns in the boot and let’s get the hell out of here.”

Finally convinced, Yohan nods and does as told. He opens the boot and stashes the gun he used. Seungyoun’s lips curves into a genuine smile, watching Yohan close the boot. Yohan smiles back at him through the rearview window.

Gear changing to reverse, Seungyoun steps on the gas. The sound of Yohan screaming in pain is vaguely muffled, but Seungyoun’s face remains deadpanned. He brakes, then drives forward to drive over the man a second time. Seungyoun winces and shrugs. “Sorry, bud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seungyoun: what if we...partnered up...haha kidding...unless?
> 
> seungyoun: skrrt jk check ya later baby boy


	4. The Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangyul catches up faster than expected. Seungyoun is forced to revisit his past. He makes a friend in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big shout out to @heinz_tan for this lovely fanart <33333333  
[Killing Lee](https://twitter.com/Heinz_Tan/status/1162702975199936519?s=20)
> 
> So i'd just like to save the trauma and note that i've added a new tag! this chapter delves deeper into the psyche of seungyoun n i had lots of fun writing it!
> 
> and thank u for ur comments they make my day so much i wuf u all '3'

Strawberry, watermelon, banana. Seungyoun grabbed any fruit he could find at the grocer’s and returned home to make a smoothie of some kind. He dumps a cup of ice in and is about to press the button when he hears the door to his apartment home open. Quite violently, at that.

Sungjoo walks in with heavy steps, stopping in front of Seungyoun, the kitchen counter the only thing separating them. He looks like he has aged 10 years in the past 10 days. He immediately begins, “It was a simple task. Kill the guy with your partner, return home.” He sighs loudly and looks away from Seungyoun like a disappointed father. “So why do I have two severely injured people spread across two continents? That wasn’t in the job scope as I recalled.”

Slowly shrugging his shoulders, Seungyoun answers slowly like he is unsure, “Collateral damage?” 

Sungjoo grabs one of the strawberries on the table and throws it at Seungyoun, the fruit falling splat on the counter. “I told you to steer clear of that team hunting you, and you did the  _ exact  _ opposite.”

“He’ll live, I made sure.” Seungyoun rolls his eyes. Before Sungjoo could utter another complaint, Seungyoun presses on the button of the blender, the loud machine sound echoing throughout the apartment. He does it again for about three times until he is finally satisfied at how frustrated his handler looks. Laughing, he finally defends himself, “The guy was tailing me, so I did what I had to do.”

“You could’ve just lose the tail easily.”

“No, man. They need to know I’m not that easy.” He winks at Sungjoo. Pouring the smoothie into a glass, he states, “I don’t remember severely injuring another person after that.”

“Your partner, you moron.” Sungjoo smiles sarcastically. “It’s  _ so _ painfully simple. But of course you had to end it by running him over with your car.”

Grimacing, Seungyoun asks, “You mean he survived?”

“The Eleven had him brought back to China. He’s in a prison until they decide if he can work again.” 

Drinking his smoothie, Seungyoun takes his time to swallow it before explaining himself. “I didn’t know he was at the back! We were in a rush to report back and I had to reverse the car. He was...in the way.”

“You drove over him twice.”

Seungyoun drinks his smoothie and mutters a low ‘whoops’. Donning the face of an exhausted father, Sungjoo takes something out of his coat and slaps it on the counter. Seungyoun takes a peek at it and almost chokes on his smoothie when he recognizes the unmistakable plane ticket to China. He looks up at Sungjoo with his eyebrows bunched together, his mouth curving downwards like a cartoon puppy.

“Hyung, you told me I would have no reason to return there.” His voice soft, almost pleading.

“I know, but the mess you caused is of nuclear proportions.” Sungjoo replies, his voice sounding sorry. “It can’t be done any other way. The team coming after you knows you were with a partner and their intelligence unit must’ve already kept tabs on Yohan. They’ll come for him, but you need to get there first.”

Pouting, Seungyoun throws his head back and hums disapprovingly. “This is the woooorst.”

The wound from a few days before is still evident on Seungyoun’s neck, on its way to form a scar. Sungjoo frowns at it and asks, “You got hurt?”

Touching the spot where the knife dug into his skin, Seungyoun’s lips curled into a small smile as he basks in the memory.  _ I hope it leaves a scar. _ He finally explains, “Work hazard, you know how it is.”

Refusing to ask for further details, Sungjoo puts his hands up in surrender. He accepts the glass of smoothie from Seungyoun and drinks it, his frustration slightly melted away at the sight of a happy Seungyoun.

  
  


~

  
  


The hospital room Jinhyuk gets to stay in is spacious, a single bed for the patient and an extra bed for a guest. It even has a couch. He was used to the army hospital and normal wards, which makes it awkward for him to accept that he is treated like royalty here. Nobody’s feeding him grapes or fanning him, but the nurses make sure he’s always comfortable and not in pain.

And Wooseok is by his side everyday, without fail. On some days, he’d use the excuse of being too tired to go home and sleeps in the extra bed. Jinhyuk would offer the spot next to him on the bed, but that would be quite dangerous and he’s also still unsure if Wooseok sees their relationship as  _ that _ yet. Wooseok was the person who appeared the most devastated when Jinhyuk was wheeled into the hospital. Jinhyuk is thankful that Wooseok wasn’t there to witness him right after the incident - blood staining almost every inch of him.

Now, the stab wounds on his stomach are healing well with no serious future repercussions. Jinhyuk was told he can’t do field work for at least a few months, which bums him out but he decides to not mind because it made Wooseok smile. He is grateful to be able to wake up with Wooseok holding his hand, asleep as well. Grateful of the way Wooseok would update him about the team everyday, because he knows Jinhyuk worries about them. 

Today, the whole team is present with the exception of Dongwook. He was also a person Jinhyuk saw almost everyday, constantly expressing his guilt. Jinhyuk assured him that it comes with the job, but Dongwook would still arrive everyday with different variations of food for him. He came earlier and left a lot of food, anticipating the arrival of the team.

Dohyon is slumped on the couch, eating chicken and using his other hand to use his laptop. Hangyul sits next to him, seemingly dazed as he bites into his chicken. Wooseok chooses to not eat yet and prepares the materials for their discussion today. Seungwoo is the only one who appears alert and ready, eating and occasionally smiling endearingly at Jinhyuk.

“So you got Suhyuk to the safehouse, escaped the maniac and his friend,” Jinhyuk repeats, sitting up as much as he is able to, “And somehow he still ended up dead? He  _ does  _ deserve to die for being an asswipe, but unfortunately our job was to keep him alive. So what happened?”

After having explained most of what happened, Wooseok turns to look at Hangyul. Hangyul stares back at everyone in the room, pausing with chicken stuffed in his cheeks. Accepting that it is his story to tell, Hangyul swallows the chicken before he begins, “Seungyoun appeared in my home the same night--”

“How does he know where you live?” Jinhyuk asks, alarmed.

“I lost my luggage, remember? Turns out he was the one who took it and...returned it. With a lot of fancy clothes and perfume in it.”

The others raise their eyebrows, this being the first time Hangyul is explaining in detail what happened. All they knew before was the fact that Seungyoun got into his house and stole his phone. It is understandable - HQ doesn’t need to know the details if it doesn’t matter.

“He was in my house and said he wasn’t here to hurt me - just asked if we could have dinner. And, I mean, I was angry and scared but mostly just curious, you know? I gave him some of the food my mum left and kept my gun facing him. Then we...talked.”

“Christ.” Seungwoo mutters. “What could you guys have possibly talked about?”

“I told him we have his prison files, asked him why he chose this job, why he stabbed Jinhyuk.”

“And?”

“Well, my hypothesis is accepted.” Hangyul shrugs. “He’s a fucking psychopath, thru and thru.”

“No, why did he stab me?” Jinhyuk asks, still pissed.

“He didn’t say exactly why, but he did give me something as an apology.” The explanation still sounds weird no matter how many times Hangyul tries to rephrase it. He takes out the card from inside his jacket and passes it to Seungwoo. “It came with the perfume.”

Scoffing, Jinhyuk exclaims, “ _ I _ got stabbed and  _ you  _ got the gift?”

Reading the card loudly, Seungwoo repeats it a few times, refusing to believe his eyes. Hangyul has to stop him and passes the card to Wooseok. An amused smile forms on Wooseok’s lips, making him feel guilty about being so amused by this otherwise morbid gift. Jinhyuk takes the card next and inhales as he reads it over and over again. 

Dohyon is the last person to receive the card, reading it out loud as well, “Sorry...baby. Sorry, baby.” He pauses to think before adding, “Right, this is less ominous than I expected.”

Resuming his story, Hangyul continues, “I asked who he works for, and he said he doesn’t ask questions about them. He said if we traced our orders high enough, we’ll find that we’re working for the same people. So that spooked me out, and I was about to text you guys but he shoved my face against a fridge before I could.”

“Oh, that explains the bruise.” Seungwoo mutters, gently touching Hangyul’s cheekbone.

“I turned the situation around and grabbed a knife. I had it against his neck and asked why he’s killing these specific people. He said something about disrupting balance in the world like he’s fucking _reverse-Thanos_ or something. It made me mad and I accidentally cut his neck.”

Excited by the prospects of how this story could end, the members lean closer. Wooseok asks, “Then?”

“I tried to stop the bleeding - like the idiot that I am. He somehow got ahold of my gun and that was it. He had my phone and asked for the password before running out.” Hangyul shakes his head, unsure if it’s disappointment that he’s feeling right now. Remembering the last detail of their encounter, Hangyul hesitates but chooses to tell anyway, “A-And before he left, he...I don’t know, he kind of...kissed me?”

The shriek coming from Dohyon almost deafens him, but the confusion on the faces of everyone else greatly amuses him. Jinhyuk softly asks, “...where did he kiss you?”

Hangyul points at his left cheek, just below the bruise. He wonders if perhaps it was a kiss near the bruise, like the one you would give to wish a wound gets better faster. He purses his lips and shifts in his seat awkwardly. 

“Not to sound weird,” Seungwoo starts, his eyes narrowing on Hangyul, “but I think Seungyoun has taken a liking towards you.”

“Don’t say it like I’m being made a sacrifice to a sea monster.” Hangyul mutters.

“He’s right, though.” Jinhyuk interjects. “Think about it, he was pissed that I stopped him from following you. He stabs me -  _ asshole  _ \- and probably felt bad about it because  _ you  _ would feel bad about it. Sends an apology gift with a  _ very  _ creepy message on a card.”

Hangyul snickers and shakes his head. “Psychopaths don’t experience empathy. They do whatever serves them best.”

“But they can be obsessed.” Wooseok nonchalantly states. “He has power and money from his job. He probably sees something in you that he hasn’t own yet.”

The room turns silent, the air tense with thoughts surrounding this matter. Hangyul gulps quietly and leans back, holding the card in his hand. He wonders if it’s odd that he doesn’t find the message to be creepy. It’s quite clear - he’s just sorry, even if he doesn’t mean it. Seungyoun is probably just attempting to emulate typical human behavior of giving apology gifts, which touches Hangyul in a way. For someone to learn and absorb a habit just so they can appear vaguely normal to someone else.

“Can we get to the real matter at hand?” Wooseok asks, pulling out a mini projector and using a bare wall in the ward as a screen. A picture appears alongside a prison profile, eliciting a gasp from Seungwoo.

“That’s the other guy who came for Suhyuk!” He exclaims.

“Kim Yohan, born in South Korea.” Wooseok reads. “He was a Taekwondo champion before his family moved to China. Assumptions are made that he was roped into the Triad to do the dirty work, which is how he landed his ass in prison.”

Dohyon sees a familiar name and points out, “The same prison Seungyoun was in.”

Wooseok nods. “He was among the profiles I kept tabs on. He wasn’t marked as dead, instead he was released under good behavior. It’s absurd, but it was done and I believe he was hired by The Eleven as well. There are several hits around Asia that I can’t strictly connect to Seungyoun, so it’s probably him.”

“What happened to him?” Seungwoo asks, curious.

“Report came in that there was an injured person near the safe house location. Local police couldn’t do anything when the Chinese took him back to China. He is currently in the same prison he was before. I’m guessing they’re keeping him in check for a while.”

Immediately standing up, Hangyul suggests, “We have to meet him before anybody else does! He must have answers.”

“This guy’s definitely not going,” Wooseok points at Jinhyuk, “so who’s going?”

“I can go.” Dohyon sheepishly raises his hand.

“Are you crazy? No.” Hangyul quickly retorts.

“Why not? You need intel there more than muscle power.”

Chiming in, Seungwoo says, “He’s right. He’ll be more useful than I would be. I trust you to keep everyone safe.”

Shoulders heavy with the responsibility handed to him, Hangyul sighs. They’ve made it clear that what happened to Jinhyuk wasn’t his fault, but he feels otherwise. The last thing he’d want is for something to happen to Dohyon. With a determined look on his face, Dohyon tries to assure him that it will be alright. Hangyul could only weakly nod.

  
  


~

  
  
  


The weather is somber in the familiar province where Seungyoun was incarcerated for almost 5 years. The rest of the plains aren’t familiar to him because he could only see as far as the courtyard would allow, but the sky remains unchanged. A gloomy expression has been on Seungyoun’s face since Sungjoo sent him off at the airport. He’s in a car with Yixuan, his original handler before he was sent out into the world. 

“Hey,” Yixuan puts a hand on his shoulder, “I know you’re nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.” Seungyoun quickly retorts, sulking.

“I know you’re nervous. But it will only be a few days.” Yixuan’s voice is gentle. It reminds Seungyoun of the period of time it took the organization to tame him, with Yixuan being the one who helped him channel his impulsive nature. 5 years of prison could heavily affect anyone - even psychopaths like him. While it gave him a lot of communication and fighting skills, it also deeply impaired the way Seungyoun behaves outside of prison. He could vaguely remember the period in time between his two incarcerations, where he tried to assimilate into normal life and was so close to succeeding. He realized that all it took was to just fake it until he makes it.

It wasn’t so easy, not even for him. He picked up where he left off when he began his assassin career, this time only doing it for short periods of time. He spends his state of restlessness in between jobs by luxuriously shopping, picking up languages, hooking up, and adopting skills. He was content with his life.

Right until this moment, when the organization decided that he will have to go back into prison for a few days to kill the man he has betrayed - twice. It isn’t the killing that worries him, but rather the memories he had deeply compartmentalized in his brain so he should never ever have to think about. He can’t disobey The Eleven because he owes them the life he has right now, and his training embedded the solid thought in him that he has no way out of this.

“I don’t need a few days.” Seungyoun retorts, smiling at Yixuan. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The proud smile on Yixuan’s face is satisfying, seeing as the man is hard to please. He explains, “So your new name is Han Jiangyu, but that doesn’t matter because they’ll call you by 1985 anyways. You were arrested for stealing shoes--”

“You’re kidding me.”

“They’re _very_ nice shoes.” Yixuan adds. “Once you’re in, you must find your way to meet the doctor. He’ll give you a weapon and further instructions. I’ll come get you after you finish the task.”

  
  
  
  


It was embarrassing to have been stripped of his D&G clothes and forced to put on the painfully familiar blue uniform. Seungyoun could almost feel himself reverting to his old self - impulsive and dangerous. He constantly reminds himself that he isn’t the same man anymore.

The prison changed in a few ways, but the layout stays the same. It is still as crowded as ever, and the guards are still as mean. As he is being escorted to his cell, Seungyoun tells the guard, “I need to see the doctor.”

“I’m sure you do.” The guard monotonously reply.

When Seungyoun is shoved into his cell, the guard asks if there’s anything else to ask. Seungyoun repeats his demand but is met with the slamming of his cell door shut. He groans and sits on his bed, unable to do anything other than wait until the next meal time.

  
  


~

  
  
  


Neither Hangyul nor Dohyon have been in China before. They do wish they were here to do some sightseeing, but the reality is often disappointing. Guided by Dongwook, they head straight towards the province where the prison is located in. The nearest hotel has three rooms booked for them, although Dohyon is sure he’s going to spend most of his time in Hangyul’s room anyway.

They barely have time to unpack when Dongwook announces that they’re meeting with the Chinese liaison, an old friend of his. The restaurant in the city is the designated meeting spot where the three of them are sat at a table for five, waiting for their guests. Two men in their early 30’s finally arrive, greeting Dongwook like old friends would.

“This is Yixuan, an old contact from when I was stationed here.” Dongwook introduces his friends to the two. He points at the other man and says, “And that is…”

“Sungjoo. I’m the middle man here, so to say.” The man chuckles as he sits at the table.

Hangyul immediately senses something wrong with their company. They’re well-dressed and well-spoken men, yet he can’t help but to be suspicious. He listens to their conversation intently, the first being mostly Dongwook reminiscing on old times. Dohyon is visibly bored next to Hangyul, refilling his glass of water way too often. When Dongwook brings up the reason for his visit, the two men share an indecipherable look between them. It takes Dongwook a good half an hour to vaguely explain the task force he has assembled and the mission at hand before Yixuan comes up with an answer - a satisfying yes.

  
  
  
  


The visit to the prison is undoubtedly the highlight of this trip. Dohyon has never been in one, while Hangyul has never seen a non-Korean prison. It is as dark and morbid as movies make them out to be, especially considering the amount of people stuffed in here together.

“Hyung,” Dohyon discreetly tugs Hangyul’s sleeve and whispers, “they can’t attack me in here, can they?”

“They’re in their cells.” Hangyul chuckles. “I won’t let them, anyway. Just stay close to me.”

They are left in a visitation room with green walls that haven’t been repainted in decades. The furniture are just as old, but at least they are kept clean. Dongwook sits between Dohyon and Hangyul, discussing the questioning strategy. He knows their conversation will be monitored, so they must be careful not to say too much.

The door finally opens for a guard escorting a man towards the table. The man is the same Kim Yohan as shown by his prison file, but his broken arm and bruised face slightly altered his looks. He sits opposite his guests, looking both annoyed and tired. His cut lip and black eye does not mask his good looks, even when he has murderous intent written across his forehead.

“We’re from the South Korean Investigation Bureau, do you know why we’re here?” Dongwook asks, his voice cordial and formal.

Yohan shrugs. “No.”

“What were you doing in South Korea a few days ago?” Hangyul asks, his voice less formal and more stern.

Sharply inhaling, Yohan looks away as he is visited by unpleasant memories. “Just visiting.”

“How were you injured this bad?” Dongwook asks, referring to Yohan’s state.

The question sends shooting pains up Yohan’s spine, making him grit his teeth to restrain himself from doing anything he will regret later. “I was in an accident while I was there.”

“You were hit by a car?” Dohyon asks, innocently curious.

Yohan’s face remains deadpan when he answers him, “No, I was run over by a car. Twice.”

That was enough to scare Dohyon, leaving him silent from shock for the rest of the interview. Hangyul, on the other hand, leans forward and asks with a voice resembling a whisper, “Let’s cut to the chase, did Seungyoun do this to you?”

Stunned, Yohan looks around with paranoia in his eyes. He checks to see if anyone’s watching them, prioritizing his safety above all. On one hand, he wants to tell them what they want, but on the other hand he knows how powerful The Eleven can be. He has been trapped with them for years and these three men are starting to look like angels descending from heaven.

“We can offer you immunity.” Dongwook offers after seeing Yohan panicking. “I can get you out of here and back to South Korea, but only if you give us what we want.”

“What do you want?”

“The people you’re working for.”

“And Seungyoun.” Hangyul quickly adds.

Yohan frowns. “Why would you want Seungyoun?”

Lost for words, Hangyul could only stare back at Yohan with his mouth agape. Yohan chuckles at this and says, "I understand.”

“What do you mean?”

“He has that effect on people.” Yohan smirks, leaning back. “Especially on the ones he likes.”

A scandalous look painting his face, Dohyon turns to look at Dongwook who still has a straight face. Dohyon tries his best not to overthink how weird the situation is, where Hangyul has somehow made an assassin fall in love with him.

“I’ll do it.” Yohan finally says, putting smiles on the faces of his guests. 

“We’ll arrange for you to be out of here tomorrow, where you’ll then be questioned at the embassy by us.” Dongwook announces, standing up. He offers a hand to shake Yohan’s as a sign of agreement, but it turns awkward at the realization that Yohan’s right arm is in a sling. Dongwook chooses to pat him on the shoulder instead. 

  
  


~

  
  
  


Seungyoun spotted Yohan earlier. On the way to being assigned a job, they passed the kitchen and Seungyoun saw the unmistakably handsome face of Yohan. With a hand in a sling, he used the other hand to work in the kitchen, probably the least straining job in prison. Seungyoun asked the guard if he could work in the kitchen, even flirted with him ( _ I can do things with a carrot you can’t even imagine _ ) and received a hit in the back with a baton.

He was assigned the horrible, degrading job of cleaning the bathroom. As he enters the depressing shower room, Seungyoun grimaces at the sight of grime on the wall. He sees another inmate at one end of the bathroom, trying to unclog a hole. He has a face too pretty to be in prison, but his built body suggests that he may have earned a spot in here. Holding a brush, Seungyoun walks over towards the man and squats beside him.

“It’s easier to do it like this.” Seungyoun immediately demonstrates it for the man. 

The man looks at him, his eyes big and slightly confused. He replies in the most broken Mandarin Seungyoun has ever heard, “I’m sorry, my Chinese is really bad.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Seungyoun then asks in Japanese, “What about Japanese?”

The man shakes his head.

“English?”

“A little.”

“Korean?”

Finally, the man shakes his head enthusiastically. The smile on his face changes his face in a way Seungyoun did not expect. The man asks, “How many languages do you speak?”

“Nevermind that,” Seungyoun chuckles, “what’s your name?”

“1859--”

“Real name.” Seungyoun cuts him off. It’s easy to forget your own name when you’re in an environment where you are constantly called by a number - Seungyoun should know.

“Kim Kookheon.”

“What got you here?”

Biting his lip, Kookheon takes a deep breath as he ponders upon his own fate. “Something happened involving a few Molotov cocktails and a guy with a broken spine.”

Seungyoun smiles. “Are you dangerous?”

“Not always. I just have these spiels where I...do things I end up regretting.” Kookheon continues trying to unclog the drain the way Seungyoun demonstrated. “What’s your name and how did you get here?”

Hesitating for a second, Seungyoun wonders if he should stick to the script or not. The prospects of befriending this handsome beefy man excites him, though. “Cho Seungyoun. I, uh, stole some shoes.”

“How do you like it here so far?”

“I’ve only been here a day, but it’s been okay.” Lying through his teeth is something Seungyoun happens to excels at.

“It’s not too bad as far as prisons go. I liked it, actually, right until they transferred my friend Yuvin to another prison.”

“What happened?”

Kookheon gives him a shy smile and whispers, “Let’s just say a tiny riot happened.”

“Kookheon,” Seungyoun holds his disgusting brush up, “I think we will be good friends.”

Touching their sticks together, they share a smile before continuing their duties.

  
  


~

  
  
  
  


The courtyard. That’s where inmates go to walk around under the guise of working out. It’s also where most illegal trades among inmates happen, but Seungyoun has no need for that now. He walks the yard in circles with Kookheon, watching the guards and other prisoners. Seungyoun finally stops at one corner, pulling Kookheon with him.

“Come on, let’s do it right now.” Seungyoun suggests, straightening his back and smiling so hard he looks deranged.

Shaking his head, Kookheon has a reluctant look when he retorts, “But I’ll get shit for this.”

“Only for a night! Tomorrow you’ll be out again and we’ll have more fun!” Seungyoun glees, holding Kookheon’s hands and jumping a little. His glee isn’t reflected back by his new friend, which makes Seungyoun pout. “You _know_ it’s exhilarating when you get to rage.”

“I _know_, that’s why it’s so bad.”

“Not always! It’s a great thing right now because look at me,”  _ stupid _ would be the word to describe the face Seungyoun is pulling right now, “don’t I have a punchable face?”

And just like that, Seungyoun’s encouragement works like magic when a fist hits his jaw so hard he almost spins around. Clutching on the fence behind him, Seungyoun laughs excitedly. “Do your best! Come on!”

An uppercut sends Seungyoun flying and crashing on the hard cement floor. He lies there, laughing as he watches the guards take Kookheon away. Seungyoun flashes an ‘okay’ sign, winking.

  
  
  
  


In the doctor’s office, Seungyoun stares at the empty chair before him with empty eyes. After getting his shit rocked by Kookheon, he wonders why he asked for seconds because the uppercut might have concussed him a little. His nose is still bleeding and dripping on his uniform, but his jaw hurts the most.

The doctor finally arrives and sits at the desk. He glances at Seungyoun and chuckles. “Wow, you were committed to meet me.”

Seungyoun rolls his eyes. “Just give me what you need to give me.” 

Taking something out of his jacket, the doctor slides a knife across the table towards Seungyoun. “In case you’re too lazy to get creative, you can use this to kill him. After that, you know  _ The Hole _ , don’t you?”

Seungyoun flinches.  _ The Hole _ created a metaphorical hole in Seungyoun’s life. If he wasn’t a psychopath before,  _ The Hole _ definitely turned him into one. The room with a single tiny window far out of reach, no bed or toilet, filled with the screams of past prisoners that still echoes. Seungyoun spent many hours in that room, punished for his violent outbursts as well as the risky activities he did to be accepted in elite circles. After the first few years, Seungyoun would learn how to evade that cursed room.

And here he is, about to willingly throw himself back in there. He weakly nods.

“Get yourself thrown into  _ The Hole _ , spend the night, and we will get you out of there in the morning.”

Nodding, Seungyoun grabs the knife and hides it in his uniform. Before he stands up to leave, he demands, “I’m taking someone out with me.”

The doctor gives him another long glance and nods. It’s the least they could do for him, anyway.

  
  


~

  
  
  


“Did you sleep well last night?”

The cute voice Seungyoun uses receives a glare as a response from Kookheon. “Don’t even start.”

“Hey, I was the one who almost dislocated his jaw.” Seungyoun says, trying to calm him down. “You almost broke my nose, too.”

“Yeah, almost made you ugly.” Kookheon finally smiles.

They’re walking towards the canteen, about to be served breakfast. Seungyoun can’t give two fucks what the menu is today, because he has his own plans for the day. As he follows the line that is slowly moving towards the kitchen, Seungyoun continues talking to his new friend.

“You still haven’t told me what the grand plan was for today.” Kookheon reminds him, excited.

“If I told you earlier you would’ve gotten too excited.” Giggling, Seungyoun whispers to him, “I’m killing someone today.”

The smile on Kookheon’s face falls into a frown. “What?”

“You think a man of my caliber gets his ass in prison for stealing  _ shoes _ ? I was sent here, and I will be taken out of here.” Careful to keep his voice down, Seungyoun enjoys the look of astonishment coming from Kookheon.

“You were sent here...to kill someone?”

Seungyoun nods.

“It better not be me.”

“I didn’t even know you existed until I came here.” Seungyoun scoffs at him. “The target’s an old friend who should’ve been dead but just refuses to die.”

Kookheon quietly tries to understand the situation. “What are you...a gangster?”

“Better.” He winks. “I’m a hitman.”

The line slowly moves and they are almost near the kitchen, where the plan Seungyoun is currently explaining will unfold. Kookheon purses his lips and asks, “But while you get to leave, my ass will have to pay for whatever mess you cause today.”

"Don't worry." Seungyoun slides the knife in his uniform into the sleeve of Kookheon's. “I’ve decided that I like you.”

That’s all Seungyoun has to say for Kookheon to remove his doubts. Seungyoun finally arrives at the window where food will be served, patiently waiting for his bowl of edible grub. A man walks towards the window, one hand holding the bowl with his eyes focused on not letting the bowl drop.

The bowl drops anyway when the man looks up to see the last person he ever wants to meet. Yohan exclaims, “NO!” and throws a nearby potato at Seungyoun, hitting him square in the face.

Groaning, Seungyoun shouts back, “YES!” before climbing over the counter. He gestures at Kookheon to follow him. Yohan’s left leg limps as he attempts to run for help.

“That guy is trying to kill me!” He shouts. A guard appears as expected, asking him who is trying to kill him. When Yohan points at Seungyoun, Seungyoun puts his hands up and steps aside, redirecting the point towards Kookheon.

Seungyoun cries, clutching onto the guard. “He’s dangerous! He wants to kill me too!” 

Charging towards Kookheon, the guard halts his movement when Kookheon takes a knife out. The guard puts his hands up, seemingly used to this particular inmate’s sudden bursts of violence. They have a standard protocol to follow when it comes to inmates like Kookheon. As the guard slowly approaches him, he says, “Remember the exercise. Count to 10.”

As Kookheon counts to ten with the guard, Seungyoun peeks over the guard’s shoulder and sends him a wink. Receiving the signal, Kookheon shoves the knife into the guard without any hesitation. Seungyoun spins the guard towards him and pulls the knife out, running towards the next guard coming at him with a baton. He stabs the guard without even looking, his eyes occupied with searching for his target. He doesn’t see Yohan anywhere, ire flooding him like a broken dam.

Turning around before running away, Seungyoun tells Kookheon, “I’ll see you tomorrow, promise.”

  
  
  
  


The prison goes into a lockdown, the rest of the guards scrambling to find out where this chaos started. The prisoners are sent back into their cells, ultimately cancelling breakfast until they can find the person responsible for this. They have caught Kookheon who offered no resistance when he was thrown into solitary for the second time. Yohan, on the other hand, makes sure the guard closes the door to his cell before he could let out a relieved sigh. He has officially ran out of energy from the panic and running.

He sits on the bed and tells himself to stay alive until someone gets him out of here. The man from the bureau is due to get him some time today, and Yohan can finally achieve the freedom that he has been deprived of for so long.

A hand appears from under his bed, grabbing his ankle. Yohan lets out an unmanly scream and falls on the floor from shock. His breathing quickens at an unhealthy rate as he watches the way Seungyoun crawls out from under his bed like a nightmare spider. The smile on his face and the excitement in his eyes could only mean one thing, and it scares Yohan to tears.

“They came for me yesterday.” Yohan begins to bargain, holding a hand up. “They said they’ll get me out of here if I told them about our job.”

Squatting in front of the curled up Yohan, Seungyoun asks, “And what about our job?”

“The Eleven, everything. I’m going to tell them and they’ll get me out of here.” Trembling, Yohan reaches forward to hold Seungyoun’s hand. “I can take you with me. We can get out of here.”

An uncomfortable frown forms on Seungyoun’s face. “I ran over you _twice_. Why would you take me with you?”

Yohan’s lips trembles when he softly replies, “Because I don’t want to die. And I know you were only doing what you were told to.”

“Oh, baby,” Seungyoun brushes Yohan’s hair away from his forehead gently, “no one told me to run you over.”

“What?”

Seungyoun’s hands find their way towards Yohan’s cheeks, cupping them adoringly. Seungyoun kneels and towers over him, savoring the fear in his target’s eyes. “It was an impulse thing - you know me. But now I have to finish whatever I started, so…”

Sobbing, Yohan asks, “Are you going to kill me now?”

Nodding with a sad face, Seungyoun pulls Yohan into a hug and holds him tightly. Yohan cries harder into Seungyoun’s shoulder, hugging him back with his free arm.

Not so far from the cell, a guard announces that one of the cells is currently empty. Another guard does their job of checking every cell, until one stops him in his tracks. Pulling his baton out, he screams for the other guards that he has found the missing prisoner. With 5 burly guards surrounding the cell, one of them opens the cell door to be met with a sight they would never forget.

A laughing Seungyoun holds a knife in one hand with blood splattered across his uniform. He screams in delight, “TAKE ME TO THE HOLE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um, so, i'm sorry? jksafjs i didn't want it to go this way but people have to die for the plot to progress ;___;
> 
> next chapter's not gonna come for a while because i have a test to prepare for unfortunately but fret not it WILL come


	5. Promise?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the story concludes on an ambiguous note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did terribly on the exam but that's ok cos it made me so depressed i wrote the emotional bits in this fic in one sitting. but otherwise! i wanted the ending to be similar to the show yet different, so I did some research on other ways psychopaths can be portrayed, among other things. i hope this won't be a let down :<
> 
> enjoy!!!

Dongwook, Hangyul, and Dohyon stand together as the guards wheel the body out. Dongwook confirms that Yohan is, indeed, dead before allowing them to cremate him. Hangyul feels uneasy at this sudden news because it makes no sense to him. _ Scratch that, this makes perfect sense. _

“Can I meet the offender who did this to him?” Hangyul demands from the nearby warden with Dongwook translating for him.

The warden shakes his head and answers, “Any inmate thrown into _ The Hole _ are not allowed visitors.”

“Can we at least know his name?”

Asking another high ranking guard before answering, the warden then replies, “Han Jiangyu.”

The name doesn't ring a bell. “Can we schedule a meeting with him after he gets out of _ The Hole _?”

“No use, they’re transferring him to a maximum security prison tonight.”

“Then can we just...take a peek inside to see what he looks like?

The warden shoots Hangyul an incredulous look before walking away. Hangyul sighs and throws his hands up. “That’s it. All that chasing got us nowhere - and I am _ so _ sure it’s him.”

Putting his hands in his pockets, Dongwook shrugs. “We can always look for more leads. Don’t be discouraged.”

Looking more confused than disappointed, Dohyon asks, “So...do we have to go home now? Nothing came out of this?”

“Pretty much.” Dongwook admits with a sigh. “The flight is tomorrow morning, so I suggest we make the most of our last night here.”

Dohyon lets out an excited cheer, contrasted by Hangyul’s catatonic look in his eyes. A part of Hangyul does feel discouraged by this major setback, but he also knows this isn’t the first time Seungyoun has killed a witnessed before they could talk - there will be more. However, another part of Hangyul dominates his thoughts; the part that feels oddly connected to the man he has only formally met once.

Diverting his thoughts, Hangyul asks, “What can we do tonight?”

“I read about their lively night market on the flight.” Dohyon excitedly tells him, softly clapping. “Let’s give ourselves a break and eat!”

  


~

  
  
  


Sitting on a park bench together, Seungyoun and Kookheon both look battered and tired. They had spent the morning working together to kill a man (and several guards), spent the rest of the day isolated in _ The Hole _ (Kookheon’s first time and he swears it’ll be his last), and then shoved into a truck to be transported in the late evening. Someone from the organization managed to break them out of the truck at the cost of the other guards’ lives, but even Kookheon doesn’t mind at this point.

Seungyoun had received an order from the team who broke them out - to head to Russia for a reassessment. After having hopped from one country to another, on top of being thrown into the place that shaped him into the monster he is today, Seungyoun felt reluctance for the first time. It’s an odd feeling.

Reassessment means he will be reassessed by the organization, and the chances of him having to start over is pretty high. He knows it’s all because of the team hot on his tail right now, yet he can’t find it in himself to fully blame them. He has a certain degree of self awareness, but it’s a side of him he has never tapped.

Watching the sunset, Kookheon smiles at the thought of freedom he has been deprived of for more than a year. They were given new clothes by the guy who helped them escape, and even though they’re just t-shirts and jeans, it feels amazing to wear something other than the blue uniform. Kookheon turns to look at Seungyoun, wondering what he’s thinking about that has him deep in thought. It’s also his first time seeing the tattoos on his arms, some are rough prison-drawn tattoos, while some look like a lot of thought went into it.

Tearing a piece from his blue uniform, Kookheon tries to wipe off a spot of red on Seungyoun’s face. More than a spot, actually. The blood from his last kill was splattered all over him. Seungyoun is awakened from his thoughts, smiling at the sight of the orange sun painting his friend’s face.

“Come to Russia with me.” Seungyoun suggests.

“Russia?” Kookheon asks, still working on removing the red from Seungyoun’s face. “How are we even going to escape the country?”

“I can get a passport made for you.” Pulling Kookheon’s hand down, Seungyoun grins at him. “They’re always open for new recruits, especially skillful guys like you.”

“Oh, you mean your hitman job?” Chuckling, Kookheon leans back on the bench and goes back to admiring the sunset. “I don’t know if that’s the job for me.”

“How can it not be?” Surprised, Seungyoun turns to face Kookheon and explains, “The training takes no time - especially with the skills you’ve already got. After that, you get to travel the world and get paid good money for killing a bunch of inconsequential people. And I’m just like you, so I know what’s most appealing to us - _ freedom _.”

“Freedom?”

“Absolute freedom from being forced to do manual labor, having to wear a uniform, and being named after a series of numbers.” 

A concerned thought makes Kookheon scrunch his eyebrows. He scoots closer and asks, “Are you sure you have freedom?”

“Yeah, I get to do whatever I want.”

“But your life is essentially in the hands of the organization.” He points out. “Which means you’ll never know when they decide to off you. Like your pal back in there.”

“My pal?”

“The guy you chased after. He was a colleague, right?”

The smile on Seungyoun’s face drops. Taking up such a bizarre job comes with obvious risks, but nothing mattered to Seungyoun when it meant he could get away from his old life. Anything was better than the way he lived before. He realizes that he has kept that part of his life repressed in his mind, stuffed so far back in a place he can barely reach. That’s how they create assassins like him. 

The organization potentially intending to kill him off is something he thought wouldn’t happen anytime soon; he’s their star hitman after all. The decision to kill Yohan off after a small mishap caused by Seungyoun’s own impulses, though - that came swift and easy like it didn’t need much discussion. He wonders if the organization is just as unpredictable as him.

“Besides,” Kookheon adds, “I still have friends here. I should try to live better-- or maybe plan a prison break for Yuvin. Who knows. That shithead can’t do anything without me.”

Friends. Seungyoun smiles at the mention of the word, the seven letters that bring no meaning to his life. All the friends he has ever made were almost always gone and forgotten in the end. It was either his own betrayal on them, or his inability to connect on a deeper emotional level. He avoided making more friends due to the latter. However, he finds himself feeling feelings he has forgotten for years while talking to Kookheon. It wasn’t his new friend that re-birthed these feelings, though. 

It was Hangyul.

There was something about the way the agent said he wasn’t terrified of him. The way he felt bad for nicking his neck even though Seungyoun is a person who deserves to bleed. When Hangyul had caught onto his acting so fast, understanding him faster than anyone ever has. The way Hangyul had printed out Seungyoun’s prison photo alongside his research material and neatly packed it in his luggage. It wasn’t hard to miss - his face was smack on the front of the clear file.

“What are you going to do now?” Seungyoun asks, his voice smaller than before.

Kookheon shrugs. “Walk around, eat some food. There’s a night market here, wanna go there?”

  


~

  
  


Hangyul has spent the past 20 minutes just watching Dohyon eat. The boy seems to want to try the food from every stall they stop at. Hangyul doesn’t mind, of course. He doesn’t have a younger brother and Dohyon has grown on him like his very own baby brother. So when Dohyon finds out he ran out of cash, Hangyul just sighs and pays for him.

“Hyung, you must try this.” Dohyon says, shoving a skewered food at Hangyul. “Eat before I call Seungwoo-hyung and tell him you’re planning to miss the flight tomorrow.”

Groaning, Hangyul eats the food. He had told Dohyon about this plan of his to purposely miss the flight tomorrow so he can research more about Seungyoun and his life here. Seeing as their whole plan was foiled when Yohan was killed, Hangyul doesn’t know if he wants to go with the plan anymore.

“There’s no use. Nothing I do could get me where I want to be.” Hangyul chews his food and stares into the distance.

Dragging Hangyul towards the next stall, Dohyon orders a serving of whatever they’re offering. “And where is it do you want to be? Next to your assassin boyfriend?”

Eyebrows raised, Hangyul looks at Dohyon, wondering where this boy has all this audacity stored in him. Dohyon continues to eat his food, pretending like he did not just say that. Hangyul continues to pay for him, following him to the next stall, be force fed whatever food is offered, pay for him, etc. He just wants to go home and distract himself from this mission for once.

The sea of people in the night market are highlighted by the bright lights emitted from the food stalls as well as the lanterns hanging above them, making it feel like day in this street. Hangyul looks around to find Dongwook, but gives up because if he can’t find the tall man, it probably means he left. 

He sees another tall person, though.

Black hair covered by a baseball cap and eyes as sharp as before. Hangyul takes his glasses out from his pocket and looks up again. He gasps at the sight of Cho Seungyoun. The man’s face is battered with faded traces of blood on his face, but it’s undoubtedly him. After staring at his picture for hours on end, Hangyul can pick him out of a line up faster than anyone else.

His heart pounds against his chest, threatening to tear through it. The thrill he feels isn’t one of fear - it’s excitement. He’s excited to see that face again. Somehow, he could feel that something is off. Other than the black eye and bruised nose, Seungyoun’s disposition looks duller than before. Hangyul is reminded of his prison photo, where his eyes were soulless, and he looked so young and vulnerable.

Another man approaches him, excitedly talking to him about a stall he was just at. Seungyoun smiles back at him and follows wherever the man takes him, but the smile doesn’t reach his eyes. Putting this slight tint of jealousy on the back burner, Hangyul focuses on finding out who this other man is. He wants to move closer to them, but he can’t possibly leave Dohyon behind as the boy tries to converse in basic Mandarin with the vendor.

Hangyul doesn’t let his eyes leave Seungyoun even for a second, his heart beating faster as time goes and Seungyoun gets closer. It isn’t until Seungyoun’s on the other side of the street that he finally looks around. His eyes land on Hangyul who’s staring back at him with anticipation written across his face. Seungyoun blinks like he’s trying to see if this is a hallucination, but Hangyul is still there. Hangyul’s lips curve into a small smile, crooked but genuine. He wonders why he feels this happy. His smile grows bigger when Seungyoun smiles back.

In a blink, Seungyoun disappears. Hangyul panics and looks around to scan the sea of people for the assassin. He moves away from Dohyon, deeming this more important than listening to the boy talk about the consistency of soup. Shouldering through the crowd of people, Hangyul sweats and pants. _ I can’t lose him again. _

His wish comes through when a hand pulls him by the arm. Hangyul turns to see Seungyoun right behind him, standing like people aren’t constantly moving around them. He slides something into Hangyul’s hand - a phone. He leans closer and whispers in Hangyul’s ears over the hustle bustle of the market, “Track me.”

And in another blink, Seungyoun disappears. He seems to possess the skill to vanish into thin air, something Hangyul would expect he has mastered. He looks around once more, panicked. All he sees is a flustered Dohyon running towards him, quickly clutching onto him like a lost kitten.

“Hyung! I thought I was going to be stranded here when I didn’t see you.”

“I saw him.”

“What?”

“Dohyon, he’s here!”

“...Seungyoun?”

  


~

  
  


The small town has a lot of random inns scattered about, home to prostitutes and backpackers. Seungyoun found one that doesn’t look like someone was murdered on the premises and got himself a room. Kookheon had parted with him after visiting the market, wishing him good luck with a tight hug. He told Seungyoun that he would rather they go their separate ways, pointing out that at some point in time Seungyoun would’ve inevitably stab him in the back.

Even Seungyoun can’t argue with that. He hopes he’ll still see him again some time soon, though.

Unpacking the phone he had just bought, Seungyoun sits on the bed and turns it on. He had bought a phone earlier, but the sudden meeting with Hangyul made him change his plans. Nervously, Seungyoun types in the number to the phone he gave Hangyul. He presses the ‘call’ button and holds the phone to his ears, inhaling slowly.

It only rings once before a deep voice asks, “Hello?”

Mouth open, Seungyoun can’t find it in him to say anything. What is there to say? The conversation they need has to be done face to face, not over the phone. The silence must be deafening on the other side of the call.

“Seungyoun? Is that you?”

_Yes, it is. I hope you can tell._

“You knew we were coming, didn’t you?”

_Of course, but I didn’t think I’d meet you._

“Listen, we can meet. I think we can come up with something that--”

Hanging up, Seungyoun finally breathes normally again. He only needed to stay on the line long enough for them to track where the call is from, which is what he hopes they were doing. 

Refusing to turn the lights on, Seungyoun sits slumped in the dark. He has never felt this defeated since...since the last time he was in prison. He hates it when he feels everything at once, which was what _ The Hole _ did to him most of the time. He lies back on the bed, phone in hand and eyes drifting asleep.

  


~

  
  


Dohyon makes an excellent partner. Seungwoo is also very right about the perks of bringing the kid along, albeit for reasons he’s better off not knowing. Not only did Dohyon manage to not totally freak out when Hangyul said _ the _ Cho Seungyoun is here, he also managed to track the call made on Hangyul’s mysterious new burner phone. 

And on top of that, he will have to make an excuse for Hangyul to be able to miss the flight. They came up with a few ideas; food poisoning, a sudden fear of flights, etc. They decided to go with food poisoning. Hangyul excused himself to the bathroom a few times, making Dongwook concerned. Dohyon interfered and told him to get it treated instead of getting on the plane. It took some convincing before Dongwook agreed and bought him another ticket for tonight.

Glad that he doesn’t have anymore company to worry about, Hangyul hails a cab and gives them the address of the location Dohyon tracked last night. It’s quite a distance from the airport, giving Hangyul some time to catch up on the sleep he missed last night. When the cab stops, he pays the driver and stands outside of the inn, frowning. He didn’t know what he expected, but the inn is the last place he thought Seungyoun would be in.

Entering the lobby, Hangyul notices that it’s so early there’s nobody manning the counter. He sighs when he realizes that although he has the location, there’s no way for him to know which room Seungyoun is in. He peeks through the counter window, checking to see if anyone is there. When he confirms that no one’s around, he looks for a guest book and quickly grabs it upon discovering the book under a pile of papers. He opens to the last opened page, scanning the names. Among the assortment of Chinese characters as well as English names, Hangyul spots a name written in Hangul.

Lee Hangyul. Room 85  . _ Of course. _

Leaving the guest book where he found it, Hangyul walks up the stairs to where the rooms are. He walks past the rooms, mentally counting until he reaches 85. The pale yellow door stares back at him, taunting to be opened. He groans upon realizing that he needs a key, or at least something to pick the locks with. Trying his luck, Hangyul twists the knob.

The door opens.

The first thing he sees is an unmade bed, evidence of someone having slept there last night. The room itself isn’t so janky - in fact it has a rustic aesthetic that makes it homely. Hangyul’s thoughts are interrupted when he hears something from the bathroom, quietly creeping towards the opened door. He sees a shirtless figure leaned over the sink, doing something to his face. Hangyul ignores the attempt to be discreet and stands in the doorway, watching Seungyoun from the back.

“I thought you wouldn’t come.” Seungyoun says, aware of a presence behind him. He turns around to smile at Hangyul before continuing what he’s doing - stitching a wound on his eyebrow.

Hangyul walks over to stand next to him and notes, “You knew I’d come.”

Seungyoun could only chuckle at this. On the sink is a bottle of alcohol made for drinking, but Hangyul suspects he’s been using it as an antiseptic. He doesn’t even flinch when he pushes the needle through his skin, moving like he has done this for years. Hangyul softly asks, “How did that happen?”

“Just a brawl.” He mutters, finishing the stitch. He then washes the blood from the needle and throws it away. Finally, he turns to look at Hangyul and asks, “Why’d you come?”

“You told me to.”

“It can’t just be that.”

Looking elsewhere, Hangyul finds his eyes drifting towards the tattoos on Seungyoun’s body. He tries not to decipher them and replies, “I guess I just wanted to. It’d be foolish not to since I’ve been chasing you for ages.”

Unresponsive to the reply, Seungyoun walks out the bathroom and sits on the bed. Hangyul joins him, sitting next to him with an inch of air separating them. He plays with his fingers as Seungyoun puts his t-shirt back on. It’s the same shirt from last night, which mean Seungyoun is probably still on the lam.

The silence on Seungyoun’s part feels foreign to Hangyul, as he expected the man to be as chatty as he was last time. Hangyul chooses to break the silence and confesses, “I think about you all the time.”

Looking at Hangyul through his outgrown bangs, Seungyoun seems pleased with the confession. Hangyul continues, “I think about how you sleep at night, what your favorite food is, if you listen to music a lot, what you’re wearing, how you’re feeling - I...I think about you more than I think about myself.”

Smiling brightly at the words directed at him, Seungyoun lets out a small laugh. He exhales before admitting, “I think about you a lot, too.”

“How?”

“I think about what kind of a man must you be to come after me like this. I knew I was going to like you, but not this much.”

Flustered, Hangyul did not expect that last bit. He holds back a response and watches Seungyoun’s behavior, seemingly more closed off than he should be. Hangyul replies, “It’s inappropriate for a man with my job, but I do like you too.”

“What about a murderous man makes you so hot for me?”

“It’s probably all that murdering; fastest way to get to my heart.”

They share a laugh over this, forgetting who they are for a second. Seungyoun still looks a little lost in thought, but he tries to recover by rubbing his face several times. He finally states, “I need to be in Russia.”

“N-Now?”

“Yeah, I’ve got everything ready.”

Hangyul observes the way Seungyoun loses a part of him just talking about this. “Are you ready?”

Meeting his eyes for the first time, Seungyoun shakes his head. “I don’t think I am.”

“Why not?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I can do complicated.” Hangyul retorts. “I did find you, after all.”

Sighing, Seungyoun lies back on the bed. Hangyul follows suit, turning to face Seungyoun who is staring at the ceiling fan. He patiently waits for the other man to collect his thoughts, admiring his features as he waits. Seungyoun’s nose curves in a beautiful shape and his lips, despite being chapped and cut, still appear as pretty. He comes to the conclusion that Seungyoun _ is _beautiful and this hidden crush of his is absolutely valid.

“I had...a moment of clarity.” Seungyoun starts. “That’s not something I get a lot, my mind constantly races with thoughts that it barely stops to think about the bigger picture. I live in the moment, so to say. All I think about is what my next job would be, what I would do with the payment, where I should travel. My brain needed me to be thrown back into where I came from so I could remember how I started. It’s cruel, but I’ve got my self awareness back.”

Listening intently, Hangyul could almost hear his voice shake. “You mean the prison?”

“I was a street rat. I thrived in prison more than I did outside. When I was offered the job, it was the ability to assimilate into normal living that interested me. Getting paid doing what I excel at it is an added bonus.”

“Were you happy?”

Seungyoun turns to look at him. “I think I was, sometimes.”

“So why are you at a lost now? Has the perks lost its charm?”

“Because I realized that I never achieved freedom.” Seungyoun turns his body to face Hangyul, their faces barely inches apart. “I’m just a hitman in the grand scheme of things. I don’t even know the people I killed. Once they think I’m incapable, they can kill me off and no one would remember me.”

The last part catches Hangyul off guard, making him flinch. He instinctively reaches a hand out and holds Seungyoun’s. “I’m sure there are people who’d remember you.”

“I don’t even remember my own name half the time.” He dryly chuckles. “But it sounds right when you say it.”

Their fingers softly intertwine with each other, comfortable with the warmth. Hangyul breathes, “Seungyoun?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you choose such a lonely path in life?”

“Like I said, do I look like a man with choices? This is as good as life’s going to get for me. I have nothing else to offer beyond this.”

“That’s not true.”

“You study people like me, you know we’re incapable of a functioning and normal life, let alone relationships and feelings. Every time I connect with someone, I hurt myself by impulsively leaving them behind every single time.”

“It doesn’t always have to be that way.”

“That’s unfortunately how it’ll always be.”

“You don’t need to work for people who don’t care about you.” Hangyul remarks, holding his hand tighter. “You need someone who understands you. Someone who could ground you to reality.”

“Someone like you?”

Hangyul wants to say yes so badly, but his rationality doesn’t allow him to. He shrugs instead. “Maybe.”

Eyes locked on Hangyul’s, Seungyoun seems to be comfortable in the position they’re in. Their hands are still together, with Hangyul too embarrassed to let go at this point. Seungyoun asks, “Do you know what you want in life?”

“That’s a question I’ve never had an answer to.” Hangyul answers. “Do you?”

“I want a normal life.” Seungyoun answers without having to dwell on it. “An apartment of my own, cool job. Someone to watch movies with.”

Hangyul snorts. “This place doesn’t even have a TV.”

“Are you familiar with euphemisms?”

Seungyoun laughs at the lost look on Hangyul’s face until the other man catches up on what he meant. Adoringly, Seungyoun sighs as he pulls Hangyul’s hand closer to him. Hangyul uses his other hand to touch the wound he had stitched earlier, a nasty gash on his eyebrow. They could both sense where this comfortable silence is leading to, not even fighting wherever it takes them. Seungyoun takes the initiative to shuffle closer towards him, carefully touching Hangyul’s face, clean and unscathed compared to his.

“Seungyoun,” suddenly worried, Hangyul momentarily holds him back, “you’re not going to kill me, are you?”

He frowns. “Of course not. I promise.”

Satisfied with the answer most people would consider as dubious, Hangyul pulls him closer by the neck and their lips meet in a way that neither of them has ever kissed before. It felt like the chase has been accumulating towards this moment - when two polar opposites could finally admit their obsession towards each other. Hangyul gently cradles Seungyoun’s head as he swiftly moves to hover above him. 

“I’ve never done this before.” Hangyul mutters against Seungyoun’s lips, already sweating from the contact. 

Putting his hands on Hangyul’s waist, Seungyoun parts his lips for Hangyul, ignoring his little confession in favor of going deeper into their kiss. Seungyoun tastes like a myriad of things - toothpaste, something metallic, as well as something sweet. His tongue doesn’t wander aimlessly in Hangyul’s mouth, instead focusing on blending himself with the other man. 

Pulling away momentarily to look at the man beneath him, Hangyul breathes, “What am I doing?”

“Something we should’ve done the first time we met.” Smirking, Seungyoun pulls him closer to continue their heated make out session.

“Wait,” Hangyul mumbles before pulling away once more, sitting up. He unbuttons his shirt clumsily as Seungyoun scrunches his eyebrows.

“Hangyul, wait,” Seungyoun says, moving to grab something from beneath a pillow. Hangyul halts his movement when he sees a shining metal sliding out from under the pillow.

“Seungyoun,” he breathes heavily, “is that a knife?”

“This isn’t for you, I can explain--”

Everything happened so quickly. Hangyul’s instincts have been on overdrive ever since their encounter, making his reflexes faster than before. Seungyoun had pulled the knife towards himself to explain his situation, but Hangyul wrestled it out of his hand and did the only thing he would do when threatened.

That’s how Seungyoun has a knife sticking out of his stomach, his eyes staring at Hangyul in horror. Seungyoun’s chest rises and falls faster as the pain of a knife stab creeps up to him. Hangyul is straddling his waist, mouth agape at what he had just done. Trembling, his hand remains clutched around the knife.

Shaking, Seungyoun asks with his voice bordering on angry, “WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!”

“YOU PULLED A KNIFE ON ME.” Hangyul retorts, his deep voice booming. 

“It wasn’t- I said it wasn’t for you. I had a plan and- I guess this is how I wanted it to go, but,” Shutting his eyes in pain, Seungyoun throws his head back and moans in pain. “Fuck, this hurts.”

Still holding onto the knife with nervous hands, Hangyul frowns. “You wanted me to stab you?”

Trying to regulate his breath, Seungyoun looks back at him with painful tears stinging his eyes. “I’ll be damned if I’d let _ The Eleven _ kill me. I didn't want to kill myself either...so I thought I’d have you do it for me.”

Nervous and confused, Hangyul exclaims, “YOU WANTED ME TO KILL YOU SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO KILL YOURSELF?!”

“Oh my god, it hurts.” Seungyoun gasps, referring to the way Hangyul is still holding onto the knife that’s digging into his stomach. “Whatever you do, don’t pull it out.”

There are times when your brain makes you do the very thing you were told not to, as if it has been put into_** Dumbass Mode.**_

That’s the mode Hangyul’s brain is in as he pulls the knife out.

“WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!” Seungyoun shouts, clutching onto his stomach.

“OH MY GOD I DON’T KNOW!” Hangyul shouts back, trying to stop the bleeding with his hands. He looks around for anything that might help, recalling the various classes he took regarding emergency situations like this. He tells Seungyoun, “I’m so sorry- wait here, stay with me. I’ll try to get something.”

Hangyul rushes to the bathroom, grabbing all the towels he could find as well as the bottle of alcohol used earlier. He checks for anything useful in the cabinets but found nothing, so he rushes out with just the towels and the bottle in hand.

He returns only to find that he’s alone in the room. A sizable trail of blood runs from the bed they were on and stops just short of the opened window. Hangyul drops the towels in hand and sticks his head out the window, searching for Seungyoun. He lets out a frustrated groan and punches the wall. Holding his head in his hands, Hangyul counts to ten and breathes slowly.

_ 10, 9, 8... _

_ He was in my hands. I was so close. _

_ 7, 6, 5… _

_ Fuck, were we kissing? How did that happen? _

_ 4, 3… _

_ I’m never going to see him again. _

_ 2… _

_ I hope he survives. _

_ 1\. _

  


~

  
  


Only Dohyon knew the real reason Hangyul stayed back in China. When Hangyul returned, he told Dohyon that nothing came out of it - the location was just an empty room. In a way, he isn’t lying. It did end up being just an empty room, devoid of any proof that blood was spilled after Hangyul cleaned the room before leaving. It doesn’t sound right to Dohyon, but he chose not to prod further because Hangyul looked like he left a part of him in China.

Several months passed and Hangyul went back to distracting himself with work. They have to start over now that nobody has a clue if Seungyoun is still working, their investigation focusing more on _ The Eleven _ themselves. The very organization Seungyoun tried to leave.

Going to work as early as he can, Hangyul would also return home at ungodly hours. He has no one to come home to anyway, so he sees no reason to not overwork himself. He’s usually left with his thoughts when he’s home alone, which is why he’s only there to sleep.

Tonight, he returns home stumbling after catching a ride with Seungwoo. The leader had finally introduced his boyfriend to the team, a bright looking Kang Seungsik, much to their delight. Jinhyuk recovered from the incident and the near death experience gave him the guts to end the weird tension that revolved around him and Wooseok. They’re still the same duo, except with more kisses this time. Hangyul was surrounded by couples - even Dohyon wasn't there to be lonely with him. That was why he chose to drink the most out of everyone there, almost knocking himself out. 

Closing the front door behind him, Hangyul kicks his shoes off and staggers inside with the wall as a crutch. He doesn’t even bother to turn the lights on, throwing his bag on the couch and crashing on another couch. He drunkenly sings an old tune that was playing on the radio as he takes his socks off and unties the tie around his neck. Like magic, he falls asleep immediately after, unaware of whatever happens around him.

  
  
  


“Hello?” Hangyul mutters with his phone pressed against his ear, annoyed.

“It’s 10. You told me you’d go jogging with me at 8!”

Looking at the time on his phone, Hangyul sighs. “Sorry, Dohyon. I drank way too much last night.”

“Want me to bring you something for your hangover?”

“That would be great, thanks.”

Putting the phone down, Hangyul groans and covers his eyes from the blinding sunlight pouring into the living room. As slow as a sloth, he sits up carefully and tries not to topple over. His head pounds so hard it almost feels like death. His reflection on the TV in front of him shows him how much of a wreck he looks like right now, hair sticking out in every direction and dark circles almost overshadowing his eyes. He chuckles at how far he has come from the squeaky clean image he used to have. 

Leaning back, Hangyul stares at the coffee table in front of him. A newspaper is placed next to a glass of water and some muscle relaxant pills. He scrunches his eyebrows and wonders if Dohyon had arrived in the last 5 minutes and he did not realize. He grabs the pills anyway and swallows them with a glass of water, willing to do anything to get rid of this hangover. He then grabs the newspaper and reads the front page.

**Korean Ambassador in Italy Found Dead, Foul Play Suspected**

It doesn’t strike Hangyul as that odd of a breaking news. Not until he sees something scribbled on the margin next to the news.

_ Here’s a reason to come find me _

_ only if you promise not to stab me again _

He gulps. A smile subconsciously forms on his face, his headache suddenly faded into a dull pain. Relief floods over him now that he knows Seungyoun survived, his conscience restored. He continues to stare at the writings, wondering where he should go from here.

_ I’ll come find your dumbass, that’s for sure. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so many people had to die for this fic,,,, but nobody in this fic ever really dies! (except yohan) (so sorry bud)
> 
> so the logic here is certain psychopaths do feel like they'd rather k*ll themselves than letting others do it for them, but I guess his /want/ for hangyul makes him the only person worthy to k*ll him. or however you wanna decipher his complicated ass. i am so relieved i've finished this because i did NOT think I could. do tell me if it sucks or not, love y'all

**Author's Note:**

> also available in русский [here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/8621616) translated by the wonderful Saluki!
> 
> u know the drill: i'm on twtr @ seungyounova and on curiouscat @ curiouscat.me/ganjanamja if u have a fic suggestion lol
> 
> do comment or kudos or wtvr i'm not ur mother BUT it'd make my day if u do <333333333


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